Interactions in virtual social networks: a systematic literature review

Virtual social networks have been established as new social interaction spaces during the last two decades. The interaction in virtual settings as Facebook and Instagram influences adolescents ' life on different dimensions. The objective of this study is to establish the state of research about social interaction process among adolescents into the online social networks through a systematic literature review. The bibliographic search was carried out by means of PRISMA protocol and forty empirical studies, which were published between 2011-2022, were selected in the Scopus, Web of Science, SciELO and Dialnet databases. Five categories were established from the research: identity, social well-being, socio-emotional skills, risk behaviors and communication. As a result, it is evident that the adolescent population interact in virtual social networks with the purpose of obtaining social recognition, consolidating friendship ties and developing the sense of belonging to a group; however, they can be exposed to some risks such as cyberbullying. In conclusion, it is necessary to expand the research about online interactions among adolescents; as well as the need to strengthen the socio-emotional skills of adolescents into the family environment and school context for making responsible use of virtual social networks.