Are Facebook and Twitter Making People More Narcissistic?

November 9, 2009

I love my Twitter and Facebook as much as the next gal, but there might be some truth to this Venn Diagram.

Perhaps our inner self-promoters and oversharers would have found another way to self-promote and overshare, but these social media platforms sure have made it easy for everyone to get up-to-the-minute updates on how we're feeling and what we're doing — whether they like it or not!

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2 years

My cousin is VERY narcissistic...both online and in real life. She has about 20, 000 friends on Facebook. She has about 800 pictures of herself with her boobs on display. It's this constant show, this self-promotion. "Look at me, I'm sooo much cooler/sexier/prettier than every other girl!" Yeah...because showing off your double-D's makes you somehow unique. I wouldn't care what she does with her life if she were actually a nice person...but she is constantly judging the lives of others and looking down on people outside of her shallow circle. I find it funny that she would judge other women if they had pictures like hers online. She posts pictures of herself so that everyone can tell her how beautiful, sexy, hot, special, and perfect she is. She LOVES the attention and NEEDS to be validated by others. In person, she is difficult to be around because it always has to be about her. She has this "look at me" attitude and heaven forbid if another girl is prettier or gets all the male attention! She needs followers on Facebook because she would never be able to survive without being complimented at least 10 times a day. She boasts about having been around the world. She tells some of the most unbelievable lies about herself, claiming to be a model. And no, she isn't some 16-year-old kid...she is nearly 30 years old and divorced.

Gawjuslayd 3 years

I think it is funny because I feel as if Facebook is someplace for people to show off just how "perfect" their life is going. I often look at my old high school friends and wonder where I went wrong. They look so pretty, successful and like they are having the time of their life. They have men and friend and are just "PERFECT". I feel like Facebook and all these other network sights just bring out what people think of themselves anyway. Many people show off or act glamourous, or think that their shit smells like roses. Bottom line: These are usually the people that are the unhappiest of them all!

ayuninur 3 years

neither

ayuninur 3 years

neither

Pistil 3 years

I think for some people Facebook becomes a vanity project, but most people I know keep their information/photos private. If they're showing off, it's only to a select group of friends. Twitter seems more appropriately placed, since it's not really meant for reconnecting with people (Facebook can at least function in that way, rather than simply being a tool for self-promotion)... the communication is a little more one way, isn't it? But I don't use Twitter, and I only use Facebook sparingly.

Pistil 3 years

karlotta 3 years

They're also wonderful places to strengthen friendships. I've moved around a lot and my friends are all over the world; with Facebook, I can keep in daily touch with most of them. And when my Dad got sick last year and passed away a couple of months ago, I don't know what I would have done without my facebook community's support. Everybody was there for me every day, and it made a huge difference.

bluestar 3 years

I think it makes the already narcissistic more narcissistic. I have one friend who updates his FB status every 5 minutes with stuff like, "I have a wet nipple!" He has an obvious need for attention that he doesn't get in real life. Thank god for the "hide" button!!

genesisrocks 3 years

I don't know if it makes people narcissistic or gives narcissistic people a place to show off. The people who really annoy me are the ones that have 200 profile pictures- not just pics tagged, but profile pictures- when they've only been on fb for a year. Why change your profile pic every other day? And the constant, meaningless status updates? Don't get me started!

Yogaforlife 3 years

I think it can be a tool for narcissists to flaunt themeselves more. But not everybody is looking to post scantily clad photos of themselves or post how they got so f*cked up last night.For a lot of people, it can be a really great way to stay in touch. I hate talking on the phone but have no problem sending an email through facebook to a friend to find out how they are doing. I've been able to connect with people I haven't talked with in 15 years and it's great to find out how they are doing. I can post pictures of my pets or important moments and share them with all my friends without having to send them copies. I love the ease of staying in touch and the fact that I can find out little things about my friends that don't come up in everyday conversations.I also find that it's a great way to support people who are enduring something, like an illness. They can blog about their conditions without having to constantly repeat it in person,and you can provide support through these mediums.

Yogaforlife 3 years

I think it can be a tool for narcissists to flaunt themeselves more. But not everybody is looking to post scantily clad photos of themselves or post how they got so f*cked up last night. For a lot of people, it can be a really great way to stay in touch. I hate talking on the phone but have no problem sending an email through facebook to a friend to find out how they are doing. I've been able to connect with people I haven't talked with in 15 years and it's great to find out how they are doing. I can post pictures of my pets or important moments and share them with all my friends without having to send them copies. I love the ease of staying in touch and the fact that I can find out little things about my friends that don't come up in everyday conversations. I also find that it's a great way to support people who are enduring something, like an illness. They can blog about their conditions without having to constantly repeat it in person,and you can provide support through these mediums.

Kimpossible 3 years

aww thank you Spacekatgal, that's very sweet.

Kimpossible 3 years

aww thank you Spacekatgal, that's very sweet.

spacekatgal 3 years

Oh Kim, I highly disagree that you would have nothing interesting to say on FB. You're one of the most thoughtful posters on TresSugar!

Kimpossible 3 years

I don't think it makes people more narcissistic I think it just allows them to flaunt it more easily. Most of the people who appear narcissistic on these sites are that way in real life situations as well. They'll find any opportunity they can to talk about themselves and have it be "all about them." On the other hand, these sites make it a little easier for the shy types to talk a bit about themselves more than they do or would in real life situations. The ones that I really don't like are the ambiguous statements on their profile updates. Something like "OMG I can't believe what happened just happened!" and that's it, no details, no explanation. But obviously they're looking for the "Oh my god, what happened??" "Are you alright??" "I'm worried about you!"... 99% of the time my status updates are a quote of the day. Mainly because my life is just not that interesting - at least not to people who are looking for stuff like the above lol, and I really don't think my friends care if I'm doing laundry that day or not lol.

Kimpossible 3 years

skigurl 3 years

sorry for the blatant typos in my post, i just reread it! i meant it makes your life more PUBLIC and makes you want to SEEM extra exciting!

spacekatgal 3 years

I love FaceBook. My husband says he's amazed with how much I stay in touch with friends from college and high school. I love talking about news, and sharing my life's stories with people. It's such a wonderful tool. I think there's a tendency for some people, usually girls in their teens and early 20s to get narcissistic with the site - but let's face it. Women can have very narcissistic tendencies at that age. I've seen a lot of the Chinese culture with my in-laws since getting married, and it's striking how much less narcissistic and community oriented it is. It's also a culture that would value the family's honor over the happiness of, say, a gay child that wanted to come out of the closet. It's also highly patriarchal, with the oldest male making the decisions for the family. There are advantages and disadvantages to Western narcissism is my point.

spacekatgal 3 years

kia 3 years

It all depends on how you use the mediums. I don't do facebook, because my BFFs high-school stalker found me when I got on, I immediately left. I twitter and am very active with the community I live around and two subjects that are part of my life. I RT events and interact with people involved with similar subject matters to me, but I check the personal TMI stuff at the door. I also unfollow the hot messes almost immediately that use the site for personal therapy.

mamasitamalita 3 years

totally agree, skigurl.... it doesn't make people one way or another, but it gives a really easy way to make oneself look sparkly and interesting

skigurl 3 years

jessie, i don't really agree that it's "just online games and friendships"...well some sites are, for sure, but facebook is REAL friends/friendships (or at least people you tangentially know in real life) - missteps on that site can affect your life...of course other sites like weird gaming sites and that kind of crap isn't going to affect your real life but anyway, i voted yes but i don't think it makes us MORE narcissistic so much as it brings out the inner narcissist in everyone because it makes your life more publis...everyone is self absorbed to a point but facebook and twitter make you want to seen extra exciting, interesting, and beautiful to the outside world...it's a way of getting yourself out there without having to parade through town

skigurl 3 years

jessie, i don't really agree that it's "just online games and friendships"...well some sites are, for sure, but facebook is REAL friends/friendships (or at least people you tangentially know in real life) - missteps on that site can affect your life...of course other sites like weird gaming sites and that kind of crap isn't going to affect your real lifebut anyway, i voted yes but i don't think it makes us MORE narcissistic so much as it brings out the inner narcissist in everyone because it makes your life more publis...everyone is self absorbed to a point but facebook and twitter make you want to seen extra exciting, interesting, and beautiful to the outside world...it's a way of getting yourself out there without having to parade through town

JessieSP 3 years

Some people take these website TOO personal. I mean it's just online games and friendships. It's not anything real to get upset or narcissistic over. Some people need more of a life but these are the only type of websites that will cater to their odd behavior sometimes.

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