Sculpting Identity in the Digital Home: Intricacies of Maternal Social Media Use in Shaping Children's Self-Concept

The present article attempts to investigate the role of maternal technoference in the development of children's self-concept. Though the use of social media is growing among mothers, little is known about its effects on the development of self-concept in children concerning intrapersonal value, self-expression, and personal agency. The existing body of literature discusses technoference predominantly in Western contexts while not giving much attention to its culturally distinct effects in developing countries, particularly in Pakistani society. This study employs a social constructivist and interpretivist philosophical approach to examine how maternal social media usage influences children's self-concepts. Using a qualitative research method, this article was conducted in the population of educated homemakers with children within the age range of 5–12 years. Data were collected through an interview guide from 47 participants, selected through purposive and snowball sampling techniques. Analysis of the data was conducted thematically to recognize the recurring themes, which include the maternal agency as a factor in shaping the children's self-concept. The article makes a strong contribution to this area by identifying three core areas affected by maternal social media usage and highlighting the implications for understanding the sociocultural complexity of mothering in the digital era of developing countries.