Negotiating identity across cultures: A cross-national study of youth self-representation in online communication

Abstract

The role of social media in developing youth identity, self-representation, and cross-cultural interactions is highly significant, especially for users of diverse backgrounds. The goal of this research project was to investigate the influence of cultural context – specifically China, the USA, and the UK – on active social media users aged 15-24 in relation to self-representation practices, self-exposure behaviors, privacy management, and identity negotiation strategies. The participants were recruited through a stratified purposive sampling frame and required to have updated or posted on their social media profile in the previous three months. The study collected a total of 450 valid responses using online surveys (Google Forms for the USA and the UK, and Wenjuanxing for China). The data analysis consisted of descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and Multiple Linear Regression (MLR). Participants had a balanced demographic distribution across age groups, gender, and countries. The findings reported moderate agreement (across behavioral measures) and weak correlations across variables, indicating that each dimension operates relatively independently of the others. Differences in preferences for platforms, with Facebook preferred most (22.2%) and TikTok/Douyin second (20.2%); WeChat was the lowest (17.8%). Daily usage indicated 26.9% spend less than 1 hour and 23.1% spend more than 4 hours each day online. The findings begin to expose differences in practice in relation to cultural differences in online identity practices. The findings also affirm that valuing culturally responsive processes is meaningful.