LinkedIn as pressure builder.

ABSTRACT This thesis will focus on LinkedIn’s influence, the professional social media platform, has on young users. As the position of social media is becoming significant in society, the process of self-presentation of identities is changing in the online environment of platforms. The focus will lie on the combination on LinkedIn’s affordances and media environment. During this research the following question was centered: How do the affordances and media environment of LinkedIn contribute to performance pressure and social comparison behavior in its users ages 20 till 25, and how this can be explained through Ervin Goffman’s concept of self- presentation? Relevant theories for the purpose of this research were the social comparison theory, affordance theory and Goffman’s theory on self-presentation for analysis, to see how LinkedIn can influence the behavior and actions of users. The combination of these theories forms an understanding of the connection between the medium and the position of the recipient, in this case students. The theoretical framework produced a critical perspective into the influence social media has on the values of society and user’s behavior. To analyze the phenomenon of LinkedIn, an affordance analysis and interviews with students was conducted. Results show that multiple affordances are responsible for creating a feeling of being watched by others, which constrains the ability to express true identities freely and changes the student’s self-presentation. The affordances carry relevance for the development of the attitudes towards certain self-presentations and the act of social comparison behavior. Besides, the media environment of the platform enables an ideal performative presentation to become the norm, which influences the pressure to achieve similarly. The comparison to mainly other students leads to performance pressure. Feelings of stress, jealousy and insecurity regarding their own achievements are the consequence. Simultaneously, students are partly responsible for the over-positive presentation of a successful professional identity, which leads to others posting similar content and similar interaction with affordances. LinkedIn presents itself as a goal-orientated path for professional growth but is experienced as a place for individualist boasting. The analysis show that self-presentation of identity, that is performative for professional goals presented to the audience of LinkedIn, is significantly important when it comes to influencing the mental state of students. This paper contributes to further research about the influence of social media on mental health of young people.