The accessibility to mobile devices has caused evolution, and invasion, of social media platforms into mainstream society, antagonizing narcissistic qualities within many of its users. Many Millennial social media users have developed qualities that fall within the spectrum of grandiose and vulnerable narcissism. In this paper, I do not refer to the clinical definition of narcissism, but a subclinical, or average, narcissism (Cisek, Hart, Sedikides 205). Many young users try to control how they want to be perceived and manipulate their pictures to portray a flawless image of themselves; Rose et. al. in "Face It: The Impact Of Gender On Social Media Images." “With the emergence of social media websites, such as Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace, users have an online platform that allows them to communicate widely, to virtually manage others’ impressions of them” (589). It is particularly important that the depiction for the public makes the user seem more important, more attractive, and more popular, than they actually are. Many users compete for popularity, strive for attention, and make extreme efforts to be “unique” by customizing their webpage.
The definition of narcissism and the qualities that I am referring to are defined by Bruce McKinney, et. al., using the works of Buffardi and Campbell; “The narcissist tends to view him- or herself as intelligent, powerful, physically attractive, unique, and entitled” (109). This is not saying that all users of social media are self-centered, egocentric, se,lf-serving and in love with one’s self. However, contemporary social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter have developed virtual platforms for people to receive attention and affirmation from acquaintances, friends, co-workers, etc., in a way they would not be able to be acknowledged or express themselves or before.
In the literature review of this topic, narcissism and social networking sites (SNSs) happen to be a controversial topic. Some researchers have foundthat there is a correlation between the use of SNSs, personality, and narcissism, in theMillennial generation. Buffardi and Campbell did important research about the issues andrelevance of narcissism andsocial media usage. Contrasted to many researchers linking the use of SNSs to narcissism, numerous studies argue that social media and technology give people an opportunity to be more open, “because they have a positive attitude about sharing such information—an attitude with viewing SNSs as means to communicate and stay connected” (McKinney, et. al. 111-112).Much of the research claims personalities have a correlation, or are the determinant, of how an individual uses social media sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, etc. However, due to the advancement of mobile communication technology and increased accessibility and usage of social media sites to a significant number of young users, competitive narcissistic tendencies are the result of social media platforms acting as a catalyst and facilitator.
In this paper I will attempt to prove that social media sites act asa trigger and an enabler for subclinical competitive narcissism in Generation Y by explaining the growth of mobile communication technologies; the booming of social media sites; how social media sites developed competitive narcissistic tendencies in Generation Y,such as grandiose self-presentation using images and other structures of social media sites and desire to be popular and unique.
The Growth and Accessibility of Technology
The past 20 years have seen an explosion of communication technologies, having a worldwide presence. Focusing on those born after 1990, Generation-Y’s, “coming of age” has been more technologically enhanced than generations of the past. It seems, long gone are the days of landlines, beepers, AOL instant messenger, chat rooms, and spare use of cellphones. Many of the country’s 20-somethings do not know what life is like without smartphones, tablets, and laptops, that have text messaging capabilities, 10+ megapixel cameras, music players, and applications (Apps). Having all of these technologies in one device allows access and constant connection to the Internet andsocial media platforms such as Facebook,Instagram, and Twitter, to name a few.
The children born during the early mid-1980 are considered Generation-Y, or the “Millennials”. They were born in the midst of revolutionary technology and rapidly evolving communication platforms; some of the beginning communication platforms are America Online (AOL), E-mail, and CompuServe. Although these platforms were popular in 90’s, technology was advancing rapidly and more mobile communication technology, devices, and platforms were being developed. The timing of the new paradigm beginning for mobile communication technologyand interest in social media explodedduring the early and mid-2000’s.This generation is “unique” as compared to earlier ones because “the Internet, cellphones and online social networking were all introduced during the growth years of the Millenials” (Alexander, et. al. 128).
Contemporarily, Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, Snapchat, and Instagram are ranked in the top 15 most popular Social Networking platforms in, but not limited to, America. These platforms changed the lives of the majority of the population; “With the advent of new digital media and mobile communication devices, the lives of media users in postindustrial countries have change considerably” (Quandht and Pape 330). A person can talk to, share ideas and pictures with, at the click of a button, instantly, in real time. The instantaneous visual and written communication, shared by “more than 60 million in number [and] are three times the size of Generation X” (Alexander et. al. 129), provoked a popularity in social media sites and enhanced egocentricity and self-centeredness for the Millenial generation.Alexander summarizes the idea of Millenialsusing the works of Deal, Altmann, & Rogelberg, “Most notably , the Millenials treat technology as their “sixth sense”. It is a significant characteristic and skill set that distinguished them from members of other generations” (127). Why is it that the Millenials have such different interactions, values, and ethics than generations of the past?
Popularity of Social Networking Sites among Millenials
Mobile, handheld, communication devices are capable of convenient accessibility and constant connection to social media platforms, which madesharing daily events much easier and mainstream.“The Internet, cell phones and online social networking were all introduced during the growth years of the Millenials” (Alexander, et. al.127-128). Social Networking Site Apps, for handheld devices, makes accessibility more frequent and even easier to share moment-to-moment activities. Social networking platforms asks their users, “What are you doing?” and “How are you feeling?”. They consist of “About Me” and ask for other information about its users.They allow a user to upload pictures, share photos, create events, and share intimate details about one’s life, whenever and wherever. This seemingly inviting approach has welcomed the individual to share their activities, what they looked like, and indulge in feelings of selfishness, or “it is all about me”.
Many people point out the generational gap, and some even call it the generation of entitlement, or “Generation Me” (Twenge and Campbell). The millennial generation grew up with advanced communication technology, which influenced the culture of this generation and separated them from their predecessors. Social media was a “new space” for Millenials to go to connect with people, make friends, share their profile pictures, statuses, thoughts, and posts. The majority of users inherited this idea that what he or she doing should be recognized and acknowledged, what he or she has to say is important, and his or her appearance should be appreciated and even boasted about by others.
Developing and Channeling Competitive Narcissistic Tendencies
There is no identified causation for narcissism. Most researchers point out that there are two distinct types, however, “the distinction between these two dimensions has not been consistently made in either the empirical or theoretical literature on narcissism” (Miller et. al. 1014). Many authors reinvent what it means to be narcissistic and what causes it. However, Jean Twenge and Keith Campbell were pioneers of in-depth research of the effects of media and narcissism in abook called, The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement. Theyclaim that “social networking sites reinforce narcissism in an endless loop…So in addition to the site structure facilitating narcissistic self-promotion, the way users are connected may pull the norm for behavior and self-presentation toward narcissism” (111). Narcissistic tendencies have become so prevalent among the Millenial generation that the “norm” for behavior is being altered by the behavior and culture of social media sites, without being recognized.
Self-Presentation on Social Media Sites
Twenge and Campbell make the argument that our society is embedded and ingrained in narcissism, a culture they call “media narcissism” which are narcissistic ideals constantly being proliferated through media—and popularly, social media. They state, “after all one of our core cultural beliefs is that you have to love yourself before you can love someone else” (105). It is the love for oneself that many users “can convey desirable information (via features such as About Me, Notes, Status Updates routinely found on social-networking sites)” (Mehdizadeh 358). Self- presentation is a vital aspect of competitive narcissism tendencies because any user can manipulate how they want the world to perceive them, by images or words. The user “can choose to present only the most attractive or cool pictures of themselves—some people call this “the angles” (113). In return, the user wants to be noticed and admired for the person they present to others.
It is not solely narcissistic individuals who want an ego-boost, even more humble people desire to be liked and when a “friend” “likes” a photo it gives an individual the affirmation he or she is looking for.“Not only do narcissists have a highly positive concept of themselves, but also need constant external affirmation.The findings of this study lend support to this model, as they imply that narcissistic individuals are highly motivated to display their positive traits on SNS” (Kapizric 17).For example, a “selfie” is a great indicator of narcissistic tendencies created and perpetuated by social media. A vast amount of users, both male and female, take pictures of themselves in their car, in the bathroom mirror, and in very populated places. The “selfie” is a development by users of social media. Whether the creator was a narcissist or not is unknown, however, self-portraits are not a new idea, but were used to glorify a person of power. Today, the “selfie” is proliferated by mass quantities of users to glorify his or her self because of the competition social media sites creates, between all of its users, and their desire to be attractive.
Striving for Popularity
In the height of the Myspace frenzy, many millennial social media users were involved in a popularity contest. It was not about having quality friends, but it was having large quantities is what mattered. Twenge and Campbell bring up an undeniable point about Myspace friendships: “Friending is also inherently competitive, as each user has to decide whom to put in the “Top 8”. Friends must be ordered and ranked, a squeamish bit of social rejection no matter how it’s done. Friendship is now a competitive sport” (112). It is this social rejection that highlights the competition involved in social media use, yet most narcissist want to be liked. However, on Myspace, people are forced to reject friends.
In many cases, when users interact on social media, they are looking for attention, and a means to receive admiration and be “liked” for whothey potentially are. This is why in many cases, people want to be considered “unique”, or own some asset that makes them different from the rest. This desire to be unique is another tendency that is formed under competitive narcissism created by social media sites. Users of Myspacechanne these tendencies through the layout of the site. Users could fully customize their “space”, pictures, friends, and site design. This customization is relevant to the “uniqueness” that users strive for when designing their website, which is a facet of competitive narcissistic tendencies..
“Social networking sites shape the ways teens and twentysomethings view their worlds, and mold the malleable personality of young people like clay. Just as animals evolve and change to fit into their environments, young people are becoming more narcissistic to fit into the demands of the new digital world” (Twenge and Campbell 114). Competition has increased Millenials’self-presentation as they strive to express their popularity and uniqueness through images, posts, statuses, and other personal information. “Narcissistic behavior and images are rewarded with more comments and more “adds”. Thus users are more likely to be connected with people who are more narcissistic than the average person” (Twenge and Campbell 111).
However, as narcissistic qualities are more accepted and considered “the norm”, the less acknowledged narcissism of the “average user” becomes. “With narcissistic people seeking out ways to promote themselves on the Web and those same websites encouraging narcissism even among the more humble” (Twenge and Campbell 107).Many millennial social media users seem to accept the role and traits of a narcissist. They “are more interested in attention and admiration than closeness and intimacy. And they make special efforts to ensure that they look and feel positive, successful, and important” (Cisek, Hart, and Sedikides 205).
Opposing Research
There are many users that do not use social media sites to promote themselves or impress people. Plenty of research literature suggests that social networks help themkeep in touch with close friends and share pictures with family living far away through the platform. Gosling claims that online social networks (OSN) “studies have linked narcissism and extraversion to objectively coded information on OSN profiles, and findings showing that OSN users’ personalities are generally seen accurately by observers provide indirect evidence that personality is expressed in Facebook profiles” (484).However, in personality tests extraversion is considered a personality correlated to narcissism, but couldn’t there be extroverts who are not innately narcissistic? The answer is yes, but, it is the exposure to the social mediatechnologies that can cause a person to become engulfed with competitive and self-promoting qualities, just as “clinical narcissists” have.
Sonja Utz, et. al., conducted research to find individuals who feel the need for popularity. They claim “NfP appears related to narcissism, but whereas narcissists actually believe they are superior, especially when it comes to agentic traits, individuals with high NfP merely want to be perceived as popular” (38). In many cases, grandiose narcissists do believe they are superior, however, on the other side of the spectrum “ vulnerable narcissism reflects a defensive and insecure grandiosity that obscures feelings of inadequacy, incompetence, and negative affect” (Miller et. al. 1013-1014). This type of narcissism can also be created and enabled by social media sites deriving from the rejection from their peers.
Conclusion
Buffardi and Campbell claim that “because of elevated exposure to narcissistic individuals and self-promotion norms of expression on social networking site will be pulled in the direction of great self-promotion” (1311). It is the pervasion and acceptance of narcissism that raises the question about the origins of narcissistic tendencies. Social media sites act as a catalyst, or creator, and facilitator and aid of this accepted competitive narcissism within the Millenial Generation. There may be a huge increase of narcissistic tendencies because they grew up with regular use of mobile communication technologies and their values and traits are observably and undeniably altered when compared to generations before. It does not mean all Millenials are born with a narcissistic personality, but it is the exposure to the catalyst that causes and enables competitive narcissistic tendencies to breed among the Millenials. Many in “Generation Me” portray themselves online in a way that is self-promoting, vying for attention and popularity, as well as trying to be unique on a platform where most people are trying to compete with one another in a similar way. It is not the few narcissist that caused these proliferation of tendencies, but social media causing and developing a culture of competitive narcissism among the Millenials.
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