THE ROLE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN SHAPING GENDER IDENTITY AMONG GENERATION Z
Keywords:
social media, gender identity, Generation Z, algorithmic culture, gender performativityAbstract
Social media platforms have emerged as pivotal environments in which Generation Z - individuals born between 1997 and 2012 - negotiate, perform, and reconstruct their gender identities. Despite a growing body of literature, the precise mechanisms through which social media shapes gender identity among this cohort remain insufficiently theorized, particularly with respect to algorithmic curation and its gendered effects. This article presents a critical integrative review of empirical and theoretical scholarship published between 2020 and 2026, drawing on Social Identity Theory, Social Cognitive Theory, and Algorithmic Culture Theory, supplemented by Butler's concept of gender performativity. Through systematic thematic synthesis of 47 selected studies sourced from Scopus- and Web of Science-indexed journals, the review identifies six recurring themes: social media as a performative stage for gender; algorithmic amplification of gender norms; Gen Z as active identity negotiators; platform affordances and gendered self-presentation; gender fluidity and LGBTQ+ digital safe spaces; and tensions between normative pressure and expressive freedom. The findings reveal a bidirectional relationship between social media and gender identity - one in which users both reproduce and contest prevailing gender norms through their digital practices. This article contributes a unified theoretical model of algorithmic gender performativity and calls for platform-sensitive, intersectional research methodologies in future studies.
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