Various Internet platforms, such as blogs, chat rooms, and forums, provide an ideal environment for narcissists to enhance their sense of self-importance. Studies show that narcissism is an ever-growing tendency; more and more people feel self-important with an increasingly disproportionate ego.
The Internet is a narcissist’s paradise. The term narcissism, which means loving yourself too much, is derived from Greek mythology. Narcissus, the son of a river god and a nymph named Liriope, was a handsome young man who rejected all the girls who fell in love with him. To punish him for his arrogance and indifference to the feelings of others, the gods made him fall hopelessly in love with himself. When Narcissus went to drink from a clear pool, he could not take his eyes off his reflection in the glass surface. He eventually died there, and the flower we call narcissus, famous for its beauty, grew where he remained.
In the late 19th century, the term narcissism—which refers to a sense of pride greater than normal and hurting the feelings of others—began to gain a psychological meaning. In 1914, Freud expanded his interpretation, claiming that narcissism is a vital, natural stage in healthy human development, but so is learning to love others. Freud believed that moving from early or “primary” narcissism (self-love) to investing energy in an external love object is a crucial step in a person’s healthy development.
To get an indication of whether you have narcissistic tendencies, answer the following questions:
- I like to be the center of attention.
Yes/No
- I believe I am special.
Yes/No
- I insist on getting the respect I deserve.
Yes/No
- I find it easy to manipulate people.
Yes/No
- I am more capable than others.
Yes/No
- I would be a great person.
Yes/No
If you answered yes to all of these questions, you likely have narcissistic tendencies. For a better indication of your narcissistic tendencies, complete the questionnaire conducted by Ames Rose and Anderson (2006).
Various online platforms, such as blogs, chat rooms, and forums, provide an ideal environment for narcissists to enhance their sense of importance; they can focus on themselves and describe what they have seen, heard, and felt to anyone who cares to listen (or, indeed, to anyone who doesn’t). Social media, for example, is another place where narcissists can present themselves and “sell” themselves. Narcissists tend to use social media as a means of increasing their status among others. They take selfies (photographs of themselves), and upload them constantly; they invest a great deal of time in improving their profiles; Narcissists take long turns when choosing photos, and their posts tend to focus on “I did…, I do…, I…” (Wang, Jackson-Chang, & Su, 2012).
This type of discourse offers no real intimacy because narcissists are so focused on providing their own details that they make no real effort to listen to others, let alone have a deep, meaningful conversation. Studies show that narcissism is an ever-increasing tendency; more and more people feel self-important with an increasingly disproportionate ego. According to a comprehensive survey by Konrath O’Brien and Hsing (2011) of the University of Michigan, many people are showing a sharp decline in empathy (sensitivity to and empathy for others’ feelings). Some people call today’s young people “Generation N” or the narcissistic generation. This may be a broad generalization, but the trend is a clear cause for concern.
