Our improved understanding of the antecedents of online identity development and SCC will inform targeted interventions, educational strategies, and policy recommendations to empower self-aware youths to engage in OSN practices ethically, responsibly, and beneficially. 

Youths' development of an integrated, cohesive, multi-faceted sense of self (self-identity clarity (SCC); Campbell, 1996) can reduce their passive social media use and harmful online behaviours, which can enhance their psychological well-being. Furthermore, youths who explore facets of their identities in online social networks (OSN) can find others with similar interests and concerns, share information, and emotionally support one another, which reduces the negative link between OSN use and SCC. However, past studies have not systematically determined the mechanisms through which uses of OSN (e.g., content consumption, production, and interaction) across multilingual and multicultural practices (e.g., translanguaging) affect SCC and how these mechanisms differ across individuals (e.g., digital literacies, DLs) or contexts (e.g., classmates vs. neighbourhood friends).   

To address this research gap, our proposed mixed-methods study, comprising surveys, interviews, and recorded digital practices, will explore the mechanisms that link youths’ OSN practices, DLs, translanguaging, online social support, online identity, self-esteem, and SCC. With stratified sampling, we will survey 800 university students and analyse their responses via multi-level structural equation modelling. Then, we will invite 72 survey participants to join semi-structured interviews and share their recorded OSN practices (e.g., screenshots, video/screen recordings, or simple texts). Through in-depth qualitative nexus analyses, we will examine the intertwined factors that interpersonally, historically, and discursively shape SCC in both online and offline spheres; we will adopt activity as a unit of analysis to understand and analyse communicative activities in OSN as embodied, treating the polysemiotic resources, such as diverse objects, artefacts, and situated digital environments, as shaping factors in OSN. 

This study will advance our knowledge by elucidating the intricate connections between OSN practices, online identity, DLs, and SCC among youths. Our improved understanding of the antecedents of online identity development and SCC will inform targeted interventions, educational strategies, and policy recommendations to empower self-aware youths to engage in OSN practices ethically, responsibly, and beneficially. Specifically, the findings will (a) help youths gain positive online experiences and develop the ability to navigate resources for coherent and consistent self-concepts so as to make informed decisions about their online presence; (b) inform the development of policies and guidelines to promote digital literacy education, online safety, and ethical OSN practices among youths; and (c) inform societal discussions and initiative aimed at promoting positive engagement with online platforms, fostering a healthier and more affording digital culture in Hong Kong and other contexts with digital boom among youths.