SOCIAL NETWORKS AND THEIR IMPACTS ON THE [DE] FORMATION OF ADOLESCENT PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

This article addresses the issue of the influence of social networks on the formation of the personality structure of adolescents. Its scientific relevance lies in the fact that it debates, at a high level, a topic that has been postponed or, when addressed, has been given superficial and shallow explanations. Its social relevance lies in the fact that it informs society about the harmful effects arising from these communities and the prophylactic measures that should be taken in order to protect the intellectual, psychological and character integrity of adolescents. This is a bibliographical research, based on classical authors and on a broad and in-depth discussion on the topic itself. It has become common to call social networks a space where anyone can sign up and exchange messages, insults, compliments, and photos of all kinds, with due regard for the ethical dimensions that determine the conditions of coexistence. The most impressive thing is the power that this virtual agglomeration has over individual behavior, causing unknown individuals to even determine what others can and should do, what to think, how to address others, causing drastic changes in vocabulary. This allows for the imprint of heavy influences on the adolescent's thinking and, consequently, on their ways of being and acting in the world. In other words, they no longer have the slightest control over the formation of their personality structure, in which the paths they can take are no longer plausible to be predicted. Social networks harm the development of the adolescent personality, precisely because at this stage of human development, the individual needs a certain type of freedom to experience certain challenging conditions; However, guided by an experienced adult who can provide security, starting with the fact that the virtual universe is marked by a speed in situational occurrences that both enchant and amaze, and this speed with which everything changes in this environment gives the impression that time is speeding up, that things are happening with a greater impact on the world and the population.