Navigating Identity in the Digital Age: The Influence of Misinformation on Adolescents' Self-Perception and Discourse

Adineh, Kimia; Zangoei, Ali

doi:10.22034/ijpie.2025.525854.1107

Navigating Identity in the Digital Age: The Influence of Misinformation on Adolescents' Self-Perception and Discourse

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Kimia Adineh ¹

Ali Zangoei ²

¹ PhD student, Department of English, Torbat Heydarieh Branch, Islamic Azad University, Torbat Heydarieh, Iran.

² Assistant Professor, Department of English, Torbat Heydarieh Branch, Islamic Azad University, Torbat Heydarieh, Iran.

10.22034/ijpie.2025.525854.1107

Abstract

Abstract

With the increasing trend of false and ineffective information in digital environments, numerous problems and dilemmas have arisen for the growth and development of adolescents, especially on self-perception and discourse patterns. The present study has attempted to examine the effects of different levels of exposure to false information on adolescents' self-perception and analyze discourse patterns among different groups of users. The sample consisted of 50 adolescent girls aged 13 to 16 years old located at the Shokoh Ofogh Language Institute in Kashmar, who were categorized into three groups based on their daily exposure to the Internet: low (n=17), medium (n=16), and high (n=17). The data collected includes a self-perception profile questionnaire for adolescents and semi-structured interviews. One-way analysis of variance indicated that there were significant differences in self-perception scores across exposure groups, and subsequent Scheffé test analyses revealed that participants in the high exposure group scored significantly lower than both the low and moderate exposure groups. Through thematic analysis of the interview data, four main themes emerged: influence on self-perception, online identity expression, credibility judgments, and social influence. The findings suggest that prolonged exposure to misinformation significantly impacts adolescents’ self-perception and discourse development, highlighting the need for targeted media literacy interventions. These results highlight the need for appropriate educational interventions to improve critical thinking skills and flexibility among adolescents against misinformation. Moreover, the results can help students, teachers, parents, and policymakers in developing information analysis skills.

Keywords

Keywords: Digital age

discourse

identity

misinformation

self-perception

Subjects

Discourse Analysis

Abbas, S., Sheraz, F., Mudassar, N., Batool, S., & Anwar, M. (2024). Impact of social media usage on perception of relationships and mental health among adolescents. Pakistan Journal of Medical and Health Sciences, 18(3), 1245-1252. https://doi.org/10.53350/pjmhs0202418316

Akers, J., Bansal, G., Cadamuro, G., Chen, C., Chen, Q., Lin, L., Mulcaire, P., Nandakumar, R., Rockett, M., Simko, L., Toman, J., Wu, W., Zeng, E., Zorn, B., & Roesner, F. (2018). Technology-enabled disinformation: Summary, lessons, and recommendations. Technical Report UW-CSE, 12(2), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.1812.09383

Anwar, M. (2024). The impact of social media on adolescent identity formation and mental health: Opportunities, risks, and policy implications. Sinergi International Journal of Psychology, 5(2), 124-138. https://doi.org/10.61194/psychology.v2i2.496

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa

Chang, R. (2024). The self-perception debate: Do social media and platforms need better regulation? SHS Web of Conferences, 187, 1-5. https://doi.org/10.1051/shsconf/202418704001

Chou, W.-Y. S., Oh, A., & Klein, W. M. P. (2018). Addressing health-related misinformation on social media. JAMA, 320(23), 2417–2418. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2018.16865

De Vries, D. A., Peter, J., de Graaf, H., & Nikken, P. (2015). Adolescents’ social network site use, peer appearance‑related feedback, and body dissatisfaction: Testing a mediation model. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 45(1), 211-224.https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-015-0266-4

Digennaro, S., & Tescione, A. (2024). Scrolls and self-perception, navigating the link between social networks and body dissatisfaction in preadolescents and adolescents: A systematic review. Frontiers in Education, 9, 1390583. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2024.1390583

Ghorbanzad, A. (2024). Discourse analysis: A comparative case study of two literary works of English and Persian female writers from socio-cognitive perspective. International Journal of Practical and Pedagogical Issues in English Education, 1(4), 63-73. https://doi.org/10.22034/ijpie.2023.185567

Handford, M., & Gee, J. P. (Eds.). (2023). The Routledge handbook of discourse analysis (2^nd ed.). Routledge.

Harter, S. (2012). The construction of the self: Developmental and sociocultural foundations (2^nd ed.). Guilford Press.

Hutchings, S. C. (2025). Uncovering the uncoverers: Identity, performativity and representation in counter-disinformation discourse. Cultural Studies, 39(2), 234-251.https://doi.org/10.1080/09502386.2024.2384942

Irwanto, I., Bahfiarti, T., Unde, A. A., & Sonni, A. F. (2025). Information disorder's impact on adolescents: Publication trends and recommendations. Frontiers in Communication, 10, 1495536. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2025.1495536

Jiotsa, B., Naccache, B., Duval, M., Rocher, B., & Grall‑Bronnec, M. (2021). Social media use and body image disorders: Association between frequency of comparing one’s own physical appearance to that of people being followed on social media and body dissatisfaction and drive for thinness. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(6), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18062880

Joffe, H. (2011). Thematic Analysis. In D. Harper & A. R. Thompson (Eds.), Qualitative research methods in mental health and psychotherapy: A guide for students and practitioners (pp. 209–223). Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119973249.ch15

Kianpour, M., Triandafyllidou, A., Allen, T., & Mazroui, S. (2024). Understanding cultural and identity narratives in the age of advanced digital technologies. [Unpublished manuscript]. Toronto Metropolitan University.

Li, Z., & Li, H. (2024). Social and emotional development of secondary school children in the digital age. In Proceedings of the 2024 9th International Conference on Modern Management, Education and Social Sciences (MMET 2024) (Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research). https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-309-2_71

Livingstone, S. (2008). Taking risky opportunities in youthful content creation: Teenagers’ use of social networking sites for intimacy, privacy and self-expression. New Media & Society, 10(3), 393–411. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444808089415

Lüders, A., Dinkelberg, A., & Quayle, M. (2022). Becoming “us” in digital spaces: How online users creatively and strategically exploit social media affordances to build up social identity. Acta Psychologica, 228, 103643.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2022.103643

Marwick, A. E., & Boyd, D. (2014). “It’s just drama”: Teen perspectives on conflict and aggression in a networked world. Journal of Youth Studies, 17(9), 1187–1204. https://doi.org/10.1080/13676261.2014.901493

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon, 9(5), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1108/10748120110424816

Stoliarchuk, O., Yang, Q., Diedkov, M., Serhieienkova, O., Ishchuk, A., Kokhanova, O., & Patlaichuk, O. (2024). Self-realization as a driver of sustainable social development: Balancing individual goals and collective values. European Journal of Sustainable Development, 13(4), 313–327. https://doi.org/10.14207/ejsd.2024.v13n4p313

Tan, H., & Yu, Y. (2024). A study on identification of youth identity through a gender lens in network buzzwords: A critical discourse analysis. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 11(1), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-02618-0

Tsfati, Y., & Cappella, J. N. (2003). Do people watch what they do not trust? Exploring the association between news media skepticism and exposure. Communication Research, 30(5), 504–529. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093650203253371

Virós-Martín, C., Montaña-Blasco, M., & Morales, J. M. (2024). Can't stop scrolling! Adolescents' patterns of TikTok use and digital well-being self-perception. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 11(1), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-03984-5

Wang, Y., McKee, M., Torbica, A., & Stuckler, D. (2019). Systematic literature review on the spread of health-related misinformation on social media. Social Science & Medicine, 240, 112552, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2019.112552

Zelenin, V. (2024). The role of social networks in shaping the identity and self-realisation of young people. Amazonia Investiga, 13(76), 128-137. https://doi.org/10.34069/AI/2024.84.12.19

Zhang, L. (2025). The impact of internet age network information dissemination on adolescents. Interdisciplinary Humanities and Communication Studies, 8(1), 45-52. https://doi.org/10.61173/174e7940

Zhu, T., Wang, Y., & Luan, Q. (2024). Research on Innovative Application of Virtual Reality Technology in Digital Media Education. In Proceedings of the 3^rd International Conference on Educational Innovation and Multimedia Technology (EIMT 2024) (1-8). Wuhan, China. EAI. https://doi.org/10.4108/eai.29-3-2024.2347721

Zohrabi, M. (2013). Mixed method research: Instruments, validity, reliability and reporting findings. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 3(2), 254-262. http://dx.doi.org/10.4304/tpls.3.2.254-262

Zozaya-Durazo, L. D., Sádaba-Chalezquer, C., & Serrano-Puche, J. (2024). "Fake or not, I'm sharing it": Teen perception about disinformation in social networks. Young Consumers, 25(3), 298-315. https://doi.org/10.1108/YC-06-2022-1552