The Impact of Aggressiveness on Self-Presentation, Communication and Behavioral Risks of Adolescents in Social Media

The article presents the results of an empirical study, focusing on the association between the aggressiveness of adolescents and their activities, behavioral patterns and self-presentation in social media. The study was conducted in the framework of the research project “Digital Portrait of Contemporary Adolescents”, operated by the Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Contemporary Childhood in Moscow State University of Psychology and Education. The data was collected in April 2021. 34 adolescents from 15 to 18 years old, studying in Moscow College of Creative Industries after L.B. Krasin, took part in the survey. The following methods were used: Buss–Perry Aggression Questionnaire (adapted by S.N. Enikolopov S, N.P. Tsibul’skii, 2007); methodology «Personal aggressiveness and conflict» (E.P. Ilyin, P.A. Kovalev, 2004); Online Activity Questionnaire (O.V. Rubtsova, T.A. Poskaklova, 2019). It was found that the level of aggressiveness in adolescents is influenced by demographic factors (the age of adolescents, the presence of male siblings in the family, etc.), the particular social network, the nature of online activities, the preferences in the formation of virtual identity, the features of interactions with other users, etc. Data shows that adolescents with a higher level of aggression tend to distort real information about themselves, creating a cyber identity different from a real personality; they more often manipulate others as well as expose themselves to risks; they themselves are more likely to become victims of other users’ aggression and manipulation.

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