ABSTRACT
As youth transition from childhood to adolescence, they spend significantly more time with peers and are highly attuned to peer feedback, which becomes central to identity formation and sense of self-worth. Many decades of research have documented peer influence processes, in which adolescents’ behaviours and attitudes become more similar to their peers’ over time. With adolescents now spending a significant portion of their time interacting with peers through social media, rigorous research is needed that examines the unique effects of social media use on peer influence processes in adolescence. However, this field of research is still in its infancy. This chapter applies developmental theory to the study of online peer influence, with a focus on social media. Our chapter begins with a review of theory and empirical work related to traditional (offline) peer influence processes. We then discuss the transformation framework (Nesi, Choukas-Bradley, & Prinstein, 2018a, 2018b), a theoretical model for how the features of social media may be transforming traditional peer relations experiences, including peer influence processes. Next, we provide a review of the burgeoning literature on peer influence via social media. Finally, we discuss methodological advances that will be necessary for a thorough understanding of the role of online peer influence in adolescent development, with an emphasis on the need for more theory-driven longitudinal and experimental studies that integrate peer self-reports, research that rigorously controls for offline peer influence, and a better understanding of mechanisms and moderators.
