Digital Self-Construction and Generation Z: Theoretical Perspective on Short-Video Platforms

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the process of digital self-construction by Generation Z on short-form video platforms from a theoretical perspective. The primary objective is to examine the phenomenon of the digital self within the frameworks of Goffman's self-presentation theory, Mead's symbolic interactionism, Festinger's social comparison theory, and Higgins' self-discrepancy theory, and to reveal how these theories are transformed within the context of short-form video platforms. The research theoretically analyzes how the technological affordances offered by short-form video platforms (visibility, editability, persistence, and associativity) and algorithmic systems shape the construction of the digital self. The findings indicate that Generation Z both employs traditional self-presentation strategies and develops new forms of selfhood shaped by algorithmic guidance on these platforms. The theoretical framework of the study is constructed upon four central axes: (1) the performative nature of the self and digital exhibition practices, (2) the transformative impact of algorithmic systems on self-construction, (3) the psychological consequences of social comparison mechanisms, and (4) the influence of global and local cultural dynamics on hybrid self-presentations. Key findings include that digital self-construction is evolving into a new form of self that can be termed the "algorithmic self," that platform affordances both enable and constrain self-presentation strategies, and that within the Turkish context, hybrid identity performances emerge between the global and the local. The study proposes ethical regulations and digital literacy programs to mitigate the adverse psychological effects of digital self-construction and suggests future research directions, including experimental studies measuring the impact of algorithmic systems, cross-cultural comparative research, and longitudinal studies.