Enacting identities in the age of social media: Voices and perspectives of four young Brazilians

Social media has become central to the everyday life of young people, allowing them to develop and maintain digitally mediated forms of sociality. This thesis explores the creative and critical ways in which four young Brazilians engage with social media to enact particular identities as they negotiate the possibilities and constraints of social media platforms in their daily lives. The study is situated within the field of Literacy Studies, a form of social inquiry that draws on different disciplinary traditions to construct knowledge about young people’s digital literacy practices and their everyday roles. The identities and Discourses with which young people affiliate are central to making sense of the digitally mediated practices emerging from social media platforms, as well as the role of software in shaping particular forms of sociality.