Profilicity and Self-Identity: Finding One’s Authentic Self Within a Social Media-Filtered World

This phenomenological qualitative case study explored how young Christian adults construct their identities when influenced by external factors such as social media using the theoretical framework of profilicity. The study took place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The location was a church setting, the mainstay of the youth adult group activities, and the site was approved to conduct the case study. The participant group was the young adult group. The church is the mainstay for all the participants. Designated rooms were identified to permit anonymity and confidentiality. No other meetings or church activities were scheduled during the allotted times for this case study. The researcher interviewed 11 young adult participants between 18 and 29. The case study was two-fold: the first consisted of individual interviews, and the second included a focus group. The participants were informed that participation was voluntary, and at any time, if they chose not to participate, they were able to remove themselves from the study. An informed consent was obtained, and the participants were informed that they would be recorded. The recordings were transcribed and uploaded to a password-protected computer that only the researcher can access. The recordings were then be erased from the recording devices. The researcher conducted in-depth individual interviews, focus groups, and participant observation to identify themes and common viewpoints. Throughout these methods, the participants were able to describe how they felt about themselves and expressed how they constructed their conclusion based on the influence of social media or the lack thereof. During the individual sessions, the participants were assigned pseudonyms for confidentiality and anonymity. During the group session, it was explained that what was discussed in the group stayed in the group. The researcher determined if profilicity has affected the participants’ concept of self and to what extent.