DICCIONARIO WBS

The core idea of Marcia's social identity theory is that one's sense of identity is determined by choices made, influenced by personality traits. Bella's narrative suggests that it is through the opportunities for autonomy that these choices and commitments can be made, as shown in the following extract where Bella discusses switching between virtual and non-virtual communication:

Normally I'm just really tired, like at the end of the day, and I can't be bothered to type that much. But if we're talking, I'm always in the mood for chatting! So, I'd have to say it depends on my mood, on the time and place… if I'm in the mood, maybe like on a weekend, I love to just go online and check my emails, look at cute videos, look at fashion. And there are some really cool fashion pages with all the styles. Or if you look on Instagram, you can see so many good clothes and looks and also make-up and hair and jewellery, and that is good because otherwise, you can't know about these things. (T1, P3, L1-12).

Bella's response about the use of SNS, such as the photo-sharing site Instagram, reveals not only her autonomous navigation of such platforms but also emphasises her control over whether to use such sites or not, saying that she needs to be ‘in the mood' (Bella, 2:3). The link to 'mood' also portrays some emotional aspect here, suggesting that social media can fulfil an emotional need. She sees the Internet as offering an insight that, without it, ‘you can’t know about these things’ (Bella, 2:5), an essential aspect, suggesting, however, an almost premature acquisition of such knowledge about ‘make-up and hair and jewellery’ and a desire to ‘look at fashion’ that without the Internet would perhaps not be available or accessible to an eight-year-old girl. This ties in with her following comment which again shows a level of maturity and understanding of online spaces, and her confidence in her navigation on SNS:

But you can choose if you want to talk to someone or not. Like, if you go out, you’re going to see people you know, and you have to talk to them. But, if you go online, you don’t have to chat you can just maybe look at things or…you don’t have to talk to someone if you don’t want to. (T1, P3, L19-24).

Bella’s autonomy here is seated in her digital literacy and her manipulation of digital spaces, which seems predominantly self-taught. As discussed earlier (see Section 2.4.4), children are learning to both consume and create digital content from an early age, and here this is

93 now manifested in Bella’s confident control over when she wishes to access this content. A well-developed identity gives on a sense of one's strengths, weaknesses, and individual uniqueness. A person with a less well-developed identity is not able to define his or her strengths and weaknesses and does not have a well-articulated sense of self; Bella's strength at controlling her behaviours and interactions suggest an identity that is thriving.

For this third theme of a ‘stable’ identity, Bella’s confidence in her present identities is reflected in her forward-looking attitude to her future orientation. Future orientation is of significance in identity development and development as it appears to be more critical during transitional development periods such as childhood transitioning into adolescence.

Individuals who are future-oriented are strongly motivated to succeed show initiative and carry out plans related to future fulfilment of activities. People who have stable identities may also be more willing to be involved with new and exciting activities, as there is more

confidence and faith in their self-concept. Bella ends her narrative by speculating about her future aspiration and ambition, which seem to link to her current Internet use, as shared earlier, around looking at online fashion pages and Instagram:

I am really into fashion, so I would love to one day maybe design clothes and have my own label and the Internet will be great for that because I would have a website, and a Facebook page, and an Instagram where there are models wearing the clothes and then links to buying the clothes as well. I think that is so cool because I can sell clothes all around the world to all the countries and that’s how you become a famous designer because everyone knows about it. (T3, P8, L4-12)

Bella seems self-assured that she can achieve this goal by using the present tense, saying she ‘can sell clothes all around the world to all the countries', and acknowledges the Internet as a way of connecting with people on a global level. This positivity is based on her

knowledge of the workings of Internet and SNS, combined with a realistic world-view that seems to have given Bella confidence in her identity; she shows commitment to achieving her goals and powerfully shows the personality characteristic of future orientation. Through exposure to discomfort online, Bella has built resilience and created strategies to avoid future discomfort or upset where possible. Instead, she seems to embrace the opportunity to interact with others online, and, as highlighted in the previous extract, wishes to embark on a future career intertwined with the Internet too.

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Summary of Bella’s idiographic case study

Bella’s confidence through her current Internet use, her managing of online dangers, and her positive aspiration for the future are all supported by the content and mature

character that Bella presents during her interviews. She has a confident self-image to which she shows commitment and appears to navigate both online and offline spaces with self-assuredness and control.

She is a confident member of online communities and shares how the reactions of others online is ‘the best bit’, while she admits that the thought of being left out can give her ‘goosebumps’. Yet, there is a presence of some crises for Bella as her daily use of the Internet to contact friends after school does show a reliance on social media, and Bella herself admits a ‘need' for her online conversations. Her simile of online communications as a ‘party' helps portray the emotions involved when she is either ‘invited' and part of the party or left out which leads to inner-turmoil and upset.

Bella shows awareness of several dangers that may be encountered online, such as ‘catfishing', cyberbullying or people sharing personal content with others without consent. Bella shows equal awareness of how to deal with these dangers, such as using personal judgment in a situation, telling a parent or appropriate adult if something happens, or trying to avoid such situations in the first place.

Bella shows strong future orientation to her dream ambition of hosting her own global fashion brand online.

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4.3.2 Charlie

Author: Charlie- nine years old - YouTube and Vlog fan

An avid YouTube fan, Charlie, nine-years-old, aspires to be a stand- up comedian or scriptwriter in the future with her ‘fan base’. Charlie sees online spaces as an ‘exciting' space and talks about how she shares some of her comedy routines with friends online.

Primary uses for Charlie are WhatsApp messenger and YouTube comment threads.

4.3.2.1 An affirmed identity