Material and digital aspects of adolescence

(Reporter)- Even if we accept it or not, today’s youth are growing up in a world in which digital
technology takes part in nearly every aspect of lives, it is even ubiquitous. Basic human activities,
including those related to education, socialization, and recreation are affected that it results in the
way that we think as we grow up. So to start, what do the material and digital aspects of
adolescence really mean?

Material Self

The innermost part of our material self is our body. We are attached to this commodity that we
cannot live without. We do have certain preferential attachment or intimate closeness to certain
body parts because of its value to us.
Next to our body are the clothes we use. The fabric and style of the clothes we
wear brings a sensation to the body to which directly affects our attitudes and behavior.
Clothing is the form of self-expression. We choose and wear clothes that reflect our self.
Third in the hierarchy is our immediate family. Our parents and siblings another
great important part of our self. What they do or become affects us. When an immediate
family dies, part of our self-dies, too. When their lives are in success, we feel their
victories as if we are the one holding the trophy. We place huge investment in our
immediate family when we see them as the nearest replica of ourself.
The fourth component of material self is home. Home is where our heart is. Our
experiences inside the home were recorded and marked on the particular parts and
thing in our home. The home thus is an extension of self, because in it, we can directly
connect our self.

DIGITAL ASPECT
Digital Identity
Sociological perspectives tell that people have “role identities”. These are the
characters and the roles an individual creates as a member of a particular social
position. The ‘self, on the other hand, is the hierarchical ordering of identities by
salience. It is known that the greater the commitment on an identity is, the greater the
salience of this identity. Hence, salience of identity impacts behavioral choices in a
situation.
However, with the presence of the internet, our identity is affected. As mentioned,
people tend to separate himself from his physical body while engaged in social media,
thus, disembodiment. It is known that social media allows us to adopt identities
independent from our bodies.

Benefits of Social Media

By the large, extant research has found that youth use social media in the
service of critical adolescent developmental tasks, such as identity development,
aspirational development, and peer engagement. As adolescents seek intimacy with
their peers and strive for autonomy, their online environments frequently reflect their off-
line lives.

Costs of Social Media

The use of social media during adolescence can also negatively impact to health and
development. These includes:
 Cyberbullying
 Depression.

And - Exposure to inappropriate content and the ability to display and consequently
receive endorsement through peer validation of risky behaviors (such as drinking
alcohol) may entice some adolescents to make poor decisions about what to share
on social media.

Synthesis:
Brain maturation plays a vital role on individual's sensations and control of emotions
during adolescence. On the other hand, issues of self and identity are very critical to adolescents.
This Chapter presents and conceptualized the aid to the students to further develop a more
critical and reflective attitude in exploring the issues about their self-identity. Where in fact this
stage is a critical link between childhood and adulthood characterized by significant physical,
psychological and social transitions and digital age was part of it. In the advent of technology
were everything runs fast and unsure students in this turbulent time must be aware of the risk and
importance of it. This chapter fully highlighted the significance of media self in adolescents' life.