An Era of Narcissism

Photo Source: Flickr “Mirror” by Allen Skyy A Flipbook by Tyler Hunt

In an age of technology and

heightened social media use for both

business and pleasure, users have

become more narcissistic as a result

of maintaining a personal brand.

The Age of Technology

In 2013, it was reported that

47% of Canadians use

smartphones, up from 34%

in 2012 [3]

Photo Source: Flickr “Smartphone” by Christian Hornick

Search Engine Frenzy

Researchers at Yale found that using a search engine leads to a

boost in confidence and a tendency to overestimate expertise and

brilliance. [6]

Photo Source: Flicker “Google+” by timubl

Permanent Career Campaign

these social media platforms)are no longer JUST

personal communication tools, or a means of

strengthening weak ties across their networks.

instead they are the criteria by which you will

be evaluated BY in the future. [2]

Photo Source: Flickr “3D Social Networking” by Chris Potter

Everyone is expected to perform

round-the-clock personal “brand”

maintenance, and most people do

not realize it. [2]

“You progress or you stagnate”[2]

Photo Source: Flickr “Progress” by Kevin Dooley

3 Ways to mAINTAIN yOUR Personal Campaign [2]

1.  Monitor-keep track of media mentions

2. Control the dialogue

3. Create your fan base

Photo Source: Flickr “Periodista” by Esther Vargas

Research from Western Illinois University showed a link between

the number of Facebook friends you have and how active you are on the

site to the likelihood of being a “socially disruptive narcissist”. [8]

Photo Source: Flickr “Facebook Friends – My New Twitter Wallpaper” by Amit Agarwal

“A cross section of the narcissist’s ego will reveal

high levels of self-esteem, grandiosity, self-focus,

and self-importance” [7]

What is a Narcissist?

“They will think they are more physically attractive

and intelligent than just about everyone, and would

rather be admired than liked” [7]

Photo Source: https://goo.gl/AVAYHR

“Facebook gives those with narcissistic tendencies the opportunity to

exploit the site to get the feedback they need and

become the center of attention” [7]

Photo Source: https://goo.gl/92Yzlz

Facebook users that self-promote on the site show signs of two narcissistic

behaviours:

Photo Source: Flickr “facebook business” by Sean MacEntee

1.  Grandiose Exhibition (GE): people who love to be the center of attention

2. Entitlement/Exploitiveness (EE): indicates how far people will go to get

the respect and attention they think they deserve [7]

“It’s all about optics,

and you need to be

everywhere” [5]

Photo Source: https://goo.gl/EOgxR3

“People strive to create a ‘personal brand’ packaging

themselves like a product to be sold” [2]

Photo Source: http://bit.ly/22FyNlh

The “Narcissism Epidemic” [5]

“Not only are there more narcissists than ever,

but non-narcissistic people are seduced by the

increasing emphasis on material wealth, physical

appearance, celebrity worship, and attention

seeking” [1]

Photo Source: Flickr “Mirror” by Tif Pic

Pop Music

Psychologist Nathan DeWall found that lyrics in pop music from 1980

to 2007 demonstrate increasing narcissism in society. [10]

Photo source: Flickr “stereo” by givesmehell

“In data from 37,000 college students, narcissistic personality

traits rose just as fast as obesity from the 1980s to

present” [5]

Photo Source: http://bit.ly/1XZztkc

A 2006 study demonstrated that 1 in 4 college students agreed

with the majority of items on a measure of standard narcissistic

traits. [1]

Photo Source: http://bit.ly/25EmJm8

While narcissistic characteristics are common in

adolescents, other negative effects of teenagers

overusing social media according to Larry Rosen

include[11]:

Being more susceptible to aggressive, vain, and anti-social behavior

Showing a poorer academic performance

Photo Source: Pixabay by ijmaki

“Narcissism causes almost all of the things that Americans hoped high

self-esteem would prevent, including aggression, materialism, lack of caring

for others, and shallow values.” [1]

“In trying to build a society that celebrates high self-esteem, self-expression, and “loving yourself”,

Americans have inadvertently created more narcissists and a culture that

brings out the narcissistic behavior in all of us.” [1]

Studies have indicated that

envy and jealousy increases with Facebook use, with overall satisfaction decreasing. [9]

Photo Source: Flickr “Social Media apps” by Jason Howie

However……

Sebastian Valenzuela’s 2009 study

came to the opposite conclusion –

he found that Facebook use:

Increases social

trust and

engagement

Photo Source: http://bit.ly/22fdx0l

Encourages political participation [9]

Boosts happiness

“Social media-minded millennials are the most narcissistic generation on record, but recent psychological research indicates that Facebook isn’t to blame for that

image obsession.” [4]

Photo Source: Flickr “State Farm and Harris Poll conducted a State of Neighbors survey” by State Farm

Some research suggests that there are positive outcomes that come

with the number of friends and relationships online, such as social

attractiveness and social support. [4]

Photo Source: Flickr “Social Media Class” by mkhmarketing

Conclusion

While the exact cause of increased narcissistic qualities among

today’s youth and general population can be argued, it is clear

that the need to maintain a personal brand for social and

professional purposes has resulted in a more self-obsessed

environment for all.

Photo Source: http://bit.ly/24r8mit

Citations

1) books, TODAY. "Me, Me, Me! America’S ‘Narcissism Epidemic’". TODAY.com. N.p., 2009. Web. 4 June

2016.

2) Clark, Dorie. "It's Not A Job Search, It's A Permanent Campaign". Harvard Business Review2012. Web. 2

June 2016.

3) Eichler, Leah. "Sorry To Be Rude, But My Smartphone Needs My Attention". The Globe and Mail 2013.

Web. 2 June 2016.

4) Elkon, Jamie. "Facebook And The Rise Of Narcissism". Shrinkrap - Psychology Blog. N.p., 2011. Web. 4

June 2016.

5) Gulati, Daniel. "Our Dangerous Obsession With External Recognition". Harvard Business Review 2013.

Web. 2 June 2016.

6) Kaplan, Sarah. "How The Internet Makes You Think You're Smarter Than You Really Are".The Washington Post 2015. Web. 2 June 2016.

7) Kaufman, Scott Barry. "How To Spot A Narcissist". Psychology Today 2011. Web. 4 June 2016.

8) Kelly, Samantha. "Got Tons Of Facebook Friends? You May Be A Narcissist, Says Study [VIDEO]". Mashable.

N.p., 2012. Web. 2 June 2016.

9) Konnikova, Maria. "How Facebook Makes Us Unhappy". The New Yorker 2013. Web. 2 June 2016.

10) "Study: Narcissism On Rise In Pop Lyrics". NPR.org. N.p., 2011. Web. 3 June 2016.

11) Williams, Ray. "Do Facebook And Other Social Media Encourage Narcissism?". Psychology Today 2013.

Web. 4 June 2016.