Narcissism In Social Media

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“I didn't know what Facebook was, and now that I do know what it is, I have to say, it sounds like a huge waste of time –Betty White (“Betty White Quotes,” 2014, para. 1).” This quote can be interpreted to fit with several of the social media avenues that many people spend their time on. Day in and day out people post, tweet, share, and pin countless times throughout the world. These different forms of communication were first created for an easier way for people to connect with others. Yet now, so much time is spent on these social sites that it has warped the interactive part and is causing more damage than good. Many are growing a desire and are living for the amount of “likes” they can receive on a post or how many re-tweets they …show more content…

Narcissism is characterized as a preoccupation with ones’ self and how they are observed by others (Wallace, 2013, para. 1). Social media becomes a watering hole out in a desert, attracting all kinds of narcissistic creatures allowing them to thrive and live on the substances offered. These sites keep people posting events in their lives because they believe others are interested in what they do, but more importantly they want others to know what they are doing (Firestone, 2012, para. 6). Narcissists have insecure personalities which cause them to post so often in order to elevate themselves to feel better about who they are. Self-promotion is seen all over social network sites; people posting every several minutes or changing their profile pictures regularly to get a volume of “likes” to refuel their need of self-worth (Williams, 2013, para. 4). This need to feel accepted and to have people recognize one’s looks or appearance by spending inordinate amounts of time causes too many problems. It becomes a catch-22; narcissists go onto the sites to post about themselves, but in that instant they see the newsfeed of the fun other people are having and how great they look that they feel down again because their post will now be …show more content…

(2014, March 20). Social Media and Self Esteem. Man Repeller. Retrieved from http://www.manrepeller.com/best_of_internet/social-media-and-self-esteem.html Nitzburg, G. C., & Farber, B. A. (2013). Putting Up Emotional (Facebook) Walls? Attachment Status and Emerging Adults' Experiences of Social Networking Sites. Journal Of Clinical Psychology, 69(11), 1183-1190. doi:10.1002/jclp.22045. Retrieved from http://web. b.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=103b726e-b79a-48e1-a880- e7c132287f3d%40sessionmgr110&vid=6&hid=118 O'Connor, M. (2014, February 20). Addicted to Likes: How Social Media Feeds Our Neediness. The Cut. Retrieved from http://nymag.com/thecut/2014/02/addicted-to- likes-social-media-makes-us-needier.html Pollet, T. V., Roberts, S. B., & Dunbar, R. M. (2011). Use of Social Network Sites and Instant Messaging Does Not Lead to Increased Offline Social Network Size, or to Emotionally Closer Relationships with Offline Network Members. Cyberpsychology, Behavior & Social Networking, 14(4), 253-258. doi:10.1089/cyber.2010.0161. Retrieved from http:// web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=103b726e-b79a-48e1-a880-

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