Digital Alienation and Identity Crisis in Contemporary Young Adult Fiction
Keywords:
Digital alienation, Identity crisis, Young Adult fiction, Digital identity, Youth literatureAbstract
Digital technology has become an integral part of young people's lives, transforming communication, social relationships, self-presentation, and identity formation. However, increased digital connectivity does not necessarily guarantee meaningful social connection and may instead generate loneliness, emotional isolation, and digital alienation. These tensions are particularly significant during adolescence, a developmental period characterized by identity exploration and the negotiation of social belonging. This study aims to analyze the representation of digital alienation, manifestations of identity crisis, the relationship between digital alienation and identity formation, literary strategies used to represent these phenomena, and their broader social and ideological meanings. The study employs a qualitative literary research design using close reading, thematic analysis, and textual interpretation of selected contemporary YA novels. The findings indicate recurring patterns of emotional isolation despite digital connectivity, fragmentation between online and offline identities, dependence on social validation, identity uncertainty, and tension between performed and authentic selves. The study concludes that contemporary YA fiction critically represents the psychological and social consequences of digital culture while providing a literary space for examining identity, belonging, authenticity, and alienation among digitally mediated youth.
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