Online identity negotiation of student leaders A case study of Wesley Grammar School

Abstract

This thesis explored the identity negotiation of student leaders in Wesley Grammar School. The qualitative case study focuses on capturing the perspectives of the participants on the use of social media and how they negotiate their identity on Facebook and in real life. Data was collected using interviews and observation. The study purposively sampled twenty participants consisting of thirteen girls’ prefects and seven boys’ prefects. The participants were selected and interviewed individually to determine their individual and familial experiences of their leadership roles and their social presence. Interpretive thematic analysis was used to analyze the comments and posts of the participants. The research identified the influence of social media use in shaping their identity, their attitudes and perception with themes of selfconcealment, online negotiation and subthemes of variation of names and fake identity. The analyses explored the processes through which identities are negotiated, claimed and performed and also the intersection of conventional identity categories. The study employed Social Identity Construction and Identity Negotiation Theory to conclude that many of these behaviors of participants are encouraged or reinforced by the very structural characteristics of the virtual space, and sometimes the manifestation of certain behaviors is necessary in order to participate with others in cyberspace and enjoy the full benefits of online applications. The study concluded that the social networking sites are increasingly becoming an essential part of our lives and these sites are involved in the different aspects of our social presence. In negotiating identity online and offline, social networking sites influence people to play some social roles on the media as well as what they do in real life.