So, your best friend and his girl are finally Instagram official. You’re so happy for them and want to congratulate them… but first you have to take a selfie. That sounds a bit wild, doesn’t it?
Believe it or not, we live among a lot of people who would have this thought process when put in the exact same situation. Who are we talking about here? Narcissists, of course.
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This may come as a surprise to you, but there are 23 million people in America who suffer from active narcissism. Although you may know the signs of narcissism from someone’s actions, this type of behavior can actually be measured. As you might imagine, many studies involving the use of technology have been conducted and narcissism has been included in this category.
In a study published in the journal Computers in Human Behavior, researchers asked the question: Would narcissists follow other narcissists on Instagram? The study also sought to determine whether or not this behavior conflicted with their character of being narcissistic.
The two-part study was conducted to answer this very question. The results of the first part proved that people who post a large number of selfies and group photos are viewed as narcissists. The results of the second part showed that these same narcissists on Instagram showed positive attitudes toward their fellow narcissists on the popular social media platform, as shown through likes and follows.
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When you think about it in the grand scheme of things, this actually makes sense. As much as a narcissist may be in love with himself, he will likely want to follow other narcissists just to keep up with the Joneses. How else would they know what angles there are at the moment? What flirty captions can they use to inspire their next post? How can they be like someone they look up to?
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The latter would seem like a means of access because that would be admiration for a being that is not oneself. But don’t forget that a big part of the reason narcissists love themselves so much is because they care so much about what others think of them.
In other words, if someone has more Instagram followers, or the right body type, or the eye color they want, these kinds of things make them aspire to be like that person.
Another point this study makes is that there are two types of narcissism we should perhaps consider: grandiose narcissism (mentioned above), and vulnerable narcissism.
In other words, a vulnerable narcissist may constantly post selfies in addition to “liking” and following other narcissists, because deep down he aspires to be as in love with himself as he portrays himself to be.
I never encourage people to judge each other because no one is perfect. In this particular case, I would advise you not to do that, because someone who posts selfies to validate their authenticity, but doesn’t think they’re beautiful, probably has self-esteem issues. And you’d just be a big bully to do such a thing.
