In 2008, 530 million people across the world are visiting social networking sites. MySpace and Facebook are the most popular,
each with more than 100 million visitors per month (Comscore, 2008). Released in 2003, MySpace was originally a site in which
aspiring bands advertised themselves. But MySpace immediately experienced phenomenal growth, initially among adolescents
and emerging adults. By 2006, MySpace had expanded its appeal to a greater age range. Nonetheless, more than ten million
emerging adults between 18 and 24 were visiting MySpace every month (Comscore, 2006). The present study investigated how
emerging adults experience the issue of self-presentation as they and others interact with peers on MySpace. The goal of this
investigation was to conceptualize the impact of these online self-presentations on identity development. For analytic purposes,
we differentiate three components of identity: personal, social, and gender.