Negotiation, Transformation, and Reinforcement: The Role of Social Media in Shaping Collective Identity
Research Article
Open Access
CC BY

Negotiation, Transformation, and Reinforcement: The Role of Social Media in Shaping Collective Identity

Ziqiu Wang 1*
1 Beijing 101 Middle School
*Corresponding author: wangziqiu99@outlook.com
Published on 9 September 2025
Journal Cover
CHR Vol.77
ISSN (Print): 2753-7072
ISSN (Online): 2753-7064
ISBN (Print): 978-1-80590-347-5
ISBN (Online): 978-1-80590-348-2
Download Cover

Abstract

In today’s digital era, social media functions as a central battlefield where cultural expression, activism, and public memory converge to shape collective identity. This paper examines the multifaceted role of social platforms in the reinforcement, negotiation, and transformation of shared group identities. Through case studies such as Selena Quintanilla’s legacy in the Latino community, the Black Lives Matter movement, and Iranian women’s rights activism, the analysis explains how social media fosters solidarity and preserves cultural heritage, particularly among marginalized social groups. Beyond reinforcement, digital platforms transform traditional memory archives from static monuments or museums into online participatory spaces where individuals actively and collectively reinterpret and negotiate cultural narratives and thus, democratizing public memory. At the same time, the algorithmic design of social media contributes to fragmentation, misinformation, and distorted nostalgia of identity, creating both cohesion and polarization. By analyzing these features, this study highlights social medias significant duality: it enables communities to amplify their voices and redefine their cultural heritage, while also risking misrepresentation and fragmented memories. Ultimately, understanding this conflict is crucial for balancing the opportunities and challenges of the formation of digital identity in an interconnected world.

Keywords:

social media, collective identity, digital activism, public memory, misinformation

View PDF
Wang,Z. (2025). Negotiation, Transformation, and Reinforcement: The Role of Social Media in Shaping Collective Identity. Communications in Humanities Research,77,15-19.

References

[1]. Statista. (2025, April 1). Worldwide digital population 2025. Statista. https: //www.statista.com/statistics/617136/digital-population-worldwide/

[2]. Kemp, S. (2024, January 31). Digital 2024: Global overview report. DataReportal. https: //datareportal.com/reports/digital-2024-global-overview-report

[3]. Taylor, V., & Whittier, N. E. (1992). Collective identity in social movement communities: Lesbian feminist mobilization. In A. D. Morris & C. M. Mueller (Eds.), Frontiers in social movement theory (pp. 104–129). Yale University Press.

[4]. Paredez, D. (2009). Selenidad: Selena, Latinos, and the performance of memory. Duke University Press.

[5]. Zaragoza, A. (2025, March 28). 30 years after Selena’s death, a look back at Dreaming of You. Los Angeles Times. https: //www.latimes.com/delos/story/2025-03-28/remember-this-bangerselenasdreaming-of-you

[6]. Helfrich, A., & Machida, S. (2023). Black Lives Matter and the effects of a social media user’s connection to differing ethnic and racial backgrounds. Journal of Political Science, 50(1). https: //digitalcommons.coastal.edu/jops/vol50/iss1/2/

[7]. Khazraee, E., & Novak, A. N. (2018). Digitally mediated protest: Social media affordances for collective identity construction. Social Media + Society, 4(1), 1–14. https: //doi.org/10.1177/2056305118765740

[8]. Powell, C. (2004, May 2). Of memory and our democracy. U.S. Department of State. https: //2001-2009.state.gov/secretary/former/powell/remarks/32053.htm

[9]. Haskins, E. (2007). Between archive and participation: Public memory in a digital age. Rhetoric Society Quarterly, 37(4), 401–422. http: //www.jstor.org/stable/40232504

[10]. Anderson, J., & Rainie, L. (2017, October 19). The future of truth and misinformation online. Pew Research Center. https: //www.pewresearch.org/internet/2017/10/19/the-future-of-truthandmisinformation-online/

[11]. Maréchal, N., MacKinnon, R., & Dheere, J. (2020). Targeted advertising and COVID-19 misinformation: A toxic combination. JSTOR. http: //www.jstor.org/stable/resrep25417.5

[12]. Norberg, J. (2021, December 5). False nostalgia. Reason.com. https: //reason.com/2022/01/01/false-nostalgia/

[13]. Biały, B. (2017). Social media—From social exchange to battlefield. The Cyber Defense Review, 2(2), 69–90. http: //www.jstor.org/stable/26267344

References

[1]. Statista. (2025, April 1). Worldwide digital population 2025. Statista. https: //www.statista.com/statistics/617136/digital-population-worldwide/

[2]. Kemp, S. (2024, January 31). Digital 2024: Global overview report. DataReportal. https: //datareportal.com/reports/digital-2024-global-overview-report

[3]. Taylor, V., & Whittier, N. E. (1992). Collective identity in social movement communities: Lesbian feminist mobilization. In A. D. Morris & C. M. Mueller (Eds.), Frontiers in social movement theory (pp. 104–129). Yale University Press.

[4]. Paredez, D. (2009). Selenidad: Selena, Latinos, and the performance of memory. Duke University Press.

[5]. Zaragoza, A. (2025, March 28). 30 years after Selena’s death, a look back at Dreaming of You. Los Angeles Times. https: //www.latimes.com/delos/story/2025-03-28/remember-this-bangerselenasdreaming-of-you

[6]. Helfrich, A., & Machida, S. (2023). Black Lives Matter and the effects of a social media user’s connection to differing ethnic and racial backgrounds. Journal of Political Science, 50(1). https: //digitalcommons.coastal.edu/jops/vol50/iss1/2/

[7]. Khazraee, E., & Novak, A. N. (2018). Digitally mediated protest: Social media affordances for collective identity construction. Social Media + Society, 4(1), 1–14. https: //doi.org/10.1177/2056305118765740

[8]. Powell, C. (2004, May 2). Of memory and our democracy. U.S. Department of State. https: //2001-2009.state.gov/secretary/former/powell/remarks/32053.htm

[9]. Haskins, E. (2007). Between archive and participation: Public memory in a digital age. Rhetoric Society Quarterly, 37(4), 401–422. http: //www.jstor.org/stable/40232504

[10]. Anderson, J., & Rainie, L. (2017, October 19). The future of truth and misinformation online. Pew Research Center. https: //www.pewresearch.org/internet/2017/10/19/the-future-of-truthandmisinformation-online/

[11]. Maréchal, N., MacKinnon, R., & Dheere, J. (2020). Targeted advertising and COVID-19 misinformation: A toxic combination. JSTOR. http: //www.jstor.org/stable/resrep25417.5

[12]. Norberg, J. (2021, December 5). False nostalgia. Reason.com. https: //reason.com/2022/01/01/false-nostalgia/

[13]. Biały, B. (2017). Social media—From social exchange to battlefield. The Cyber Defense Review, 2(2), 69–90. http: //www.jstor.org/stable/26267344

Cite this article

Wang,Z. (2025). Negotiation, Transformation, and Reinforcement: The Role of Social Media in Shaping Collective Identity. Communications in Humanities Research,77,15-19.

Data availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study will be available from the authors upon reasonable request.

About volume

Volume title: Proceedings of ICADSS 2025 Symposium: Consciousness and Cognition in Language Acquisition and Literary Interpretation

ISBN: 978-1-80590-347-5(Print) / 978-1-80590-348-2(Online)
Editor: Yanhua Qin
Conference website: https://2025.icadss.org/Beijing.html
Conference date: 20 October 2025
Series: Communications in Humanities Research
Volume number: Vol.77
ISSN: 2753-7064(Print) / 2753-7072(Online)

© 2024 by the author(s). Licensee EWA Publishing, Oxford, UK. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license. Authors who publish this series agree to the following terms:

1. Authors retain copyright and grant the series right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this series.

2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the series's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this series.

3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See Open access policy for details).

For authors
For editors
For reviewers

Cookies are used by this site.
Copyright © 2024 EWA Publishing, its licensors, and contributors. All rights reserved, including text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.