Media Self-Presentation and Identity Exploration of Generation Z During the Waithood Phase
Abstract
Against the dual backdrop of digital transformation and social structural transformation, Generation Z youth are experiencing institutional delays in transitioning from the education system to the labor market, giving rise to the epoch-characteristic “waithood” phenomenon. This study integrates perspectives from communication and sociology to focus on how Generation Z youth in the waithood phase utilize new media platforms (such as Douyin and Xiaohongshu) for self-presentation and identity exploration. Waithood is a buffer period transitioning students into independent social roles, characterized by suspended identity and social pressure. Employing qualitative content analysis and case study methods, this research examines characteristic multimodal practices (including but not limited to ‘slow living’ vlogs and daily life documentation) across these platforms from 2022 to 2025. The findings demonstrate how platform algorithms systematically curate information flows to simultaneously enable fragmented self-expression and sustain networked interactions, thus creating conditions for ongoing negotiations of identity construction and social positioning. The research enriches theories of digital self-presentation and community identity, deepens understanding of youth psychological support mechanisms and online cultural governance in digital media environments, and provides empirical support for related policy-making.
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