Young adult’s reflections on their experiences of social media use during adolescence : a case study in Pretoria, Gauteng

Abstract

In the digital age, social media has become an integral part of adolescents’ lives, shaping their behaviours, identities, and interactions. Social media use is associated with both advantages and risks. The goal of the study was to explore the experiences of social media use during adolescence through the reflections of a sample of young adults living in Pretoria, Gauteng, to provide insight into the phenomenon. The objectives were to theoretically conceptualise social media and to contextualise it within the South African context; to explore and describe participants’ use of social media during their adolescent years; to explore and describe the participants’ perceptions of positive and negative influences of social media use on them during adolescence; to obtain suggestions from the participants on promoting optimal use of social media by adolescents; and to obtain the participants’ suggestions for curbing the harmful effects of social media on adolescents. The research question that guided the research was: What are young adults’ reflections on their experiences of social media during adolescence? An interpretivist paradigm and qualitative research approach was adopted to gain a rich understanding of the participants’ perceptions of the phenomenon. Following an instrumental case study design, purposive and snowball sampling were used to recruit participants who could provide information to achieve the goal and objectives of the study.