How Social Media Shapes Identity in the Philippine Context

by iris aringo

Social media is just another grapevine you can hear from and speak to. It is much like writing, where you translate your emotions to text, but instead of ‘Dear Diaries’, you are addressing the grapevine of the whole world.

Its is such a relief that I was born in the 90’s (December 1999 is still 90’s). Puberty was never smooth-sailing, but at least Facebook and Twitter were not there to document mine. Now, when I go through my feed, and see my younger cousins who just finished elementary post selfies with cringy captions, I couldn’t help but judge. The same goes for my stalking of the cute guy from BS Bio whose timeline was as detailed as my sequined prom dress. Social media rants, posts, and perks give you a picture of the person, and in return, you will act in a certain manner when that person is around, a manner in which you adjusted to match the person you judged. A cycle, that will gradually establish one’s identity through establishing it as one’s perception and of others’.

Social media is more complex than old slam books at reunions. It is stored in the Cloud, and is accessible to everyone given the permission. People with the history of having an account in the social media world have contributed to the massive data we all enjoy in the newsfeed. People could be apathetic to what you do, or they could point their fingers at you if you managed to provoke them, or could mimic you if they find you pleasant. All reactions or the lack of reactions will very much likely stir a person’s identity. It could build or break, a thing we should be cautious about in this give and take relationship.

Bottomline, social media is a mere vessel that was made to be useful. But like most of other amazing creations, when paired with an ocean of diverse minds, things end up as messy as a vineyard left by its gardener. Social media is undeniably a part of our mundane lives, and when it comes to the matter of identity, one of our hopes is that it will not end up hurting a person through scarring his/her identity.