VAD ÄR MENINGEN IFALL JAG MÄRKER ATT INGEN KOMMER BRY SIG? En kvalitativ intervjustudie om barns upplevelser av identitetsskapande och sociala relationer på sociala medier

Sammanfattning

Social media has become a central part of children's everyday lives. Platforms like TikTok,Instagram and Snapchat shape how children socialise, see themselves and buildrelationships. While research on adolescents and social media is extensive, youngerchildren in the 12-13 age range have largely been overlooked. This study aims to addressthat gap by examining how children aged 12-13 experience identity formation and socialrelationships on social media.The study is a qualitative interview study in which eleven seventh-grade children wereinterviewed in pairs using a semi-structured interview guide. The material was analysedusing thematic analysis, guided by three theoretical frameworks: Goffman's (1959/2020)theory of performance, Hogan's (2010) theories of exhibition and curators, and Coleman's(1990) theory of social capital and group closure.The findings show that the children are highly aware of how they present themselvesonline. They make deliberate choices about what to post, adjust their behaviourdepending on who might see their content, and consciously hide aspects of themselves tomaintain a positive image. The children also show a clear understanding that posts onsocial media can reach a wide and unknown audience, and adapt what they shareaccordingly.When it comes to social relationships, the children describe social media as a useful toolfor staying in touch, planning activities and supporting each other. Tighter, moreclose-knit groups are experienced as safer and more predictable, while looser networksfeel less defined in terms of shared norms and expectations.Overall, the children navigate social media with a notable degree of awareness. Theirexperiences are consistently mixed, the same platforms that enable connection andself-expression also create pressure and a sense of constant visibility. A key finding is thatchildren aged 12-13 show a level of reflection similar to that of older teenagers, suggestingthat these processes develop earlier than previously assumed. The results are notgeneralisable, but offer a perspective that has largely been missing from existing research