4.4. Limitations and future directions
The focus group procedure of this study generated new insights into the ways emerging adults' peer interactions on social
networking sites may impact the construction of personal, social, and gender identities; however, this study is only a first step. The
discussions reveal the experiences and phenomenology of a limited number of MySpace users; they also shed light on MySpace as
a cultural environment. However, they do not reveal individual differences in patterns of identity construction on MySpace; nor
can the generalizability across individuals be assessed. Focus groups are also limited in the extent to which they can illuminate the
actual processes of identity exploration and commitment. Longitudinal studies that observe participants' MySpace behaviors and
track self-perceptions over time would better ascertain whether self and relationship displays and public feedback actually lead to
idealized self-displays becoming integrated into the self.