Exploring Cultural Identity Negotiation among Adolescents in Digital Spaces through a Phenomenological Approach
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Abstract
Digital platforms are reshaping how adolescents construct and negotiate their cultural identities in an increasingly globalized era. This study addresses the limited understanding of how adolescents themselves experience and interpret tensions between global digital influences and local cultural traditions. Adopting an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), it explores adolescents’ lived experiences to uncover how cultural identity is continuously reshaped in digital spaces. Data were gathered through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with adolescents active in both social media and cultural practices, and analyzed thematically. The results reveal that adolescents negotiate identity through a balance of empowerment and vulnerability in digital self-expression, while creatively hybridizing local traditions with global trends. Family and community expectations continue to shape these processes. The study’s novelty lies in revealing the phenomenological depth of digital identity negotiation—showing how personal meaning, cultural continuity, and global connectivity intertwine in adolescents’ lived experiences. This contribution refines current discussions on youth, globalization, and cultural sustainability by providing an interpretative understanding of identity as a fluid, meaning-making process in digital contexts.
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