Social Media and the Construction of Gender Identity Among Young Adults: A Structured Review of Identity Practices, Platform Conditions, and Social Feedback

This structured narrative review examines social media practices associated with gender identity work, with particular attention to their relevance for young adults. It distinguishes gender identity from sexual orientation and separates identity exploration, self-presentation, and social recognition. The synthesis draws on 12 purposively selected sources published within 2015–2025: nine empirical studies and three reviews. Four themes organize the analysis: exploration and identity-related language; presentation and disclosure; recognition and social feedback; and platform conditions and social context. Direct evidence concerning young adults’ gender identity development is limited, while studies of broader LGBTQ+ populations, adolescents, and mixed-age samples provide adjacent evidence. Across the selected literature, social media offer resources for information seeking, selective disclosure, and community connection, alongside challenges associated with audience overlap, unwanted exposure, and identity management. Qualitative accounts identify perceived mechanisms, and longitudinal associations suggest reciprocal relationships between self-presentation and self-understanding; neither establishes that social media determine gender identity. The review proposes a conceptual framework and research propositions that remain untested. Its purposive selection, incompletely documented search, and absence of formal quality appraisal limit completeness and confidence in the synthesis. Future research should distinguish identity constructs, report age and gender composition, and examine changes within individuals across platforms and social contexts.