Narcissistic tendencies are more prevalent
in Generation Y than any other generation,
due to the advancement of communication
technologies and use of social media sites.
Social media site socialization was the
catalyst and enabler of competitive
narcissistic tendencies such as selfpresentation, popularity, and uniqueness
through images and other structures of
social media sites.
First, Let Me
Take a Selfie:
Narcissistic Millenials are the
Products of Social Media Sites
Jenna Walther
Written for Dr. Bernadette Longo’s
PTC 603-Identity Technology &
Communication
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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 himor 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.
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In the literature review of this topic, narcissism and social networking sites (SNSs)
happen to be a controversial topic. Some researchers have found that there is a correlation
between the use of SNSs, personality, and narcissism, in the Millennial generation. Buffardi and
Campbell did important research about the issues and relevance of narcissism and social 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 as a 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 selfpresentation 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
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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 and social 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
technology and interest in social media exploded during 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
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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 Millenials using 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 made sharing 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-tomoment 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
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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 a book called, The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement. They
claim 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
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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
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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 who they 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 Myspace channe 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
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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 them keep 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 media technologies
that can cause a person to become engulfed with competitive and self-promoting qualities, just as
“clinical narcissists” have.
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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
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proliferation of tendencies, but social media causing and developing a culture of competitive
narcissism among the Millenials.
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