SOCIAL MEDIA & NARCISSISM: AN EXPLORATION

GEETESH KUMAR SINGH(M.A. III SEM)

Department of PsychologyDAV PG College, Banaras Hindu University

Narcissism “It is impairment in personality and interpersonal

functioning as well as several pathological traits that indicate the subject is grandiose, superficial, and

attention seeking.”

Narcissus

Superficial

Attention seeking

Inflated self-

concept

Grandiose

“The term Narcissism has its origins in the Greek myth of Narcissus, "man who refused all lovers and was cursed by the god to fall in love with his won reflection (Konrath, 2007)."

Social Media“Prolonged use of social networking sites such

as Facebook, Instagram and Tweeter, may be increases narcissism and negatively affects relationship and self-esteem.”

Total Popula-tion

Total Internet Users

Active Social Media Users

Uniqe Mobile Users

Active Mobile Social Users

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

87.395 Billion

3.419 Billion

2.307 Billion

3.790 Billion

1.968 Billion

Global Digital Snapshot January 2016

Social Media

1712

500

300555

Number of Active Users in Million

Facebook

Tweeter

Instagram

Tumbler

“The migration of individuals, especially teenagers and young adults, onto the Internet has occurred in staggering proportions. In particular, social networking Web sites.”

These Web sites offer individuals the abilities, among others, to …(a)Create an individual Web page(b) Post self-relevant information (e.g., self-descriptions, photos)(c) Link to other members (e.g., “friends lists”), and(d) Interact with other members.

So the question is, Do Facebook and Other Social Media Encourage Narcissism? Is narcissism apparent in the content of the Web page, and if so, how? 

 Literatures ReviewNarcissism and Social Networking sites: The act of

selfies (Taylor M.W.,2015)A Canadian study at York University, published in the

journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking(2009).

Russell Clayton at the University of Missouri along with colleagues Alexander Nagurney (2009).

A study by Larry Rosen at California State University, presented at the annual convention of the APA(October 2011).

Tiffany A. Somerville, Midwestern university(2014).

 Literatures Review

The people you see always taking selfies are the people who want to gain the most admiration (Forbes, 2016).

Laura E. Buffardi ,W. Keith Campbell, 2007; conducted a survey on 284 U.G. student(age 18 – 26 Year),on the following dimensions-

(a) quantity of social interaction (b) main photo sexiness (c) main photo attractiveness (d) main photo self-promotion

Conclusion Today, interaction and self-presentation on the internet are the norm.

Maintaining a web presence andkeeping in contact with a large number of individuals viasocial networking Web sites has become part of manyindividuals’ daily lives. This concise review explores that people with higher levels of narcissism were more active on social media and also the studies explores that narcissism was the highest predictor of Social media activity out of all of the factors studied which indicates that narcissistic behaviour and Social media use are strongly correlated (Buffardi & Campbell, 2008). Social media narcissism isn’t a physical or mental disability. The vast majority of social media narcissists will experience no problems in their day-to-day lives. But it does impact relationships and it does impact people’s perceptions.Narcissistic

Inflated self-

concept

Pelf-Present

ation

Self-Promoti

ng

Implication

Help to identify narcissists on social media. Used to identify persons self-esteem on the basis of

content on their Facebook pages.Individuals who are considering entering into a

romantic relationship with someone they meet on a social networking site might be able to detect trait narcissism.

It would be interesting to see if social media use is correlated to any specific psychological disorders such as narcissistic personality disorder.

ReferencesAmerican Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.).Brunell, A. B., Campbell, W. K., Smith, L., & Krusemark, E. A. (2004, February). Why do people date narcissists?Jamie Chamberlin Monitor Staff , Facebook: Friend or foe? October 2011, Vol 42, No. 9 Print version: page 66.Buffardi, L. E., & Campbell, W. K. (2008). Narcissism and social networking web sites. Pew Research Center (2014). Social networking fact sheet. Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/fact-sheets/social-networking-fact-sheet/Global Social Media Statistics Summary 2016 http://www.smartinsights.com/social-media-marketing/social-media-strategy/new-global-social-media-research The journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/social-networkingAre You A Social Media Narcissist? http://www.forbes.com/sites/ajagrawal/2016/03/10/are-you-a-social-media-narcissist/#5cd173293cbf

Thank You