Self-Presentation on Social Media: Sociological Research of Young People in the City of Split (Croatia)

Youth self-presentation represents the creative expression of personality, interests, and attitudes through the formation of an online identity on social media, which is an indispensable component of young people's lives nowadays. Just as Goffman's actor presents himself on stage in everyday life, people on social media have unique modes of expression that include filtering, editing, and selective sharing of content in order to present themselves in the best light and impress their target online audience. This sociological research aims to gain an insight into how young people present themselves to their online audience by examining why and how often they use and post on social media, as well as how they create and edit content on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok as the most popular social media. An online survey was used in 2023 to gather data from a sample of 283 young people in Split (Croatia), who were between the ages of 20 and 34. The study's findings indicate that young people follow posts and stories of others every day and that women spend more time both following and posting content on social media than men. In comparison with Facebook and TikTok, they prefer to use Instagram. Compared to men who use social media because of its popularity or in order to make new acquaintances, women use it for entertainment (Facebook) and to follow and create content (Instagram). At the same time, women are more inclined to use various options and tools when creating and editing content on social media.