Social Media Influence on Cultural Identity Formation Among Generation Z in Multicultural Societies: A Cross-National Study of Malaysia, Indonesia, and India

Abstract

This study examines the influence of social media use on cultural identity formation among Generation Z in three multicultural Asian societies: Malaysia, Indonesia, and India. Adopting a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design, the research draws on an online survey of 1,800 young people aged 18 to 26 (n = 600 in each country) and eight follow-up focus groups (six participants each). Using structural equation modelling and reflexive thematic analysis, the study tests a conceptual model in which intensity of social media engagement predicts identity exploration, which in turn predicts cultural hybridity in self-concept. The structural model demonstrates adequate fit (CFI = 0.94, TLI = 0.93, RMSEA = 0.045) and supports the hypothesised positive path from social media intensity to identity exploration (β = 0.43, p < .001) and from identity exploration to cultural hybridity (β = 0.38, p < .001). Country-level analysis indicates that Malaysian respondents report the highest hybridity scores (M = 4.21, SD = 0.68), followed by Indonesian (M = 4.02, SD = 0.71) and Indian (M = 3.87, SD = 0.79) participants. Focus group data identified four overarching themes: digital cosmopolitanism, identity tensions, performativity and authenticity, and online/offline navigation. The study contributes to the literature on digital identity by providing one of the first directly comparable cross-national studies of Generation Z in multicultural Asia, by integrating quantitative structural modelling with rich qualitative inquiry, and by extending theoretical conceptualisations of hybrid identity (Bhabha, 1994; Hall, 1996) into the algorithmic media environment of the late 2020s.