http://socialmediatoday.com/colinalsheimer/185766/dangers-facebook-narcissism
The Dangers of Facebook Narcissism
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Facebook
comments Posted September 23, 2010 by
Colin Alsheimer 2
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I recently read an article that declared Facebook users more likely to be narcissistic, insecure, and have lower self esteem than those who forgo using the social networking site. Is this statement far from the truth or right on target?
6 years after Facebook exploded onto the online scene more than 500 million people are active users of the site—updating profiles, adding friends, sending links, ‘liking’ statuses and more. Users’ actions, whether they realize it or not, lean more towards personal branding or company branding rather than simple online social activity and entertainment.
Think about it:
- People are friends with people they barely know.
- They monitor pictures of themselves posted by others and themselves.
- Statuses are updated to boast latest travels, announcements, relationships, and achievements.
- ‘Liking’ a page, group, link, status, or photo alerts others to their opinions, thoughts, and ideas.
It’s difficult to not see the narcissistic point of view when honing in on what makes Facebook so fascinating—people’s purposeful actions on the site.
Job searching
For instance, if looking for a job most people attempt to minimize the amount of inappropriate material on their Facebook page. Pictures showing drunken nights out, sloppily clad, or anything of unmoral standards will go against someone should a company check out Facebook for more information on the applicant. Silly quotes, hearts and smiley faces galore, and ridiculous ‘graffiti’ or ‘bumper stickers’ will turn off the potential employer as well.
Controlling your image
Keeping up a specific online image doesn’t stop after securing a job either. People continue to delete or detag photos based on how they look (chubby, too skinny, bad angle, acne shows, unflattering outfit, etc) shaping the way friends and family perceive them online. Links and notes are posted to promote certain views, opinions, and beliefs and passed around to friends and family, and liked and commented on. Not only do people know what you look like, they know what you think like too. Everything is crafted, subconsciously or consciously, to project an image in a certain light.
When thinking of Facebook in those terms, people spend countless hours simply advertising themselves the best way they can just because they can–behavior that can most definitely be classified as a tad bit narcissistic.
Facebook paired with business
Since delving into the motives behind Facebook, I’ve started to wonder if the only way to escape the narcissism aspect paired with the social networking site is to simply use it for business (companies, entrepreneurs, and organizations) rather than the individual. Openly advertising a company’s achievements, goals, growth, and mission to build an audience, awareness, and fans attracts customers, and therefore grows the business—all makes sense. It’s a way for people to see the inner workings of a company, get a personal feel for their purpose, and ultimately understand the benefits in doing business with them. It also increases the chance of money in your pocket far more than staring at pictures of yourself for two hours every day.
Is it possible to participate from a personal point of view on Facebook without becoming somewhat narcissistic? Or is a business point of view the only way to escape the potential of self absorbed behavior on the site? Do we, as a society, have concerns over the issue? Or should we just chalk it up to the current world we live in, where social media and social networking sites are infiltrated into our lives on a daily basis? Will this perception fade away into normal and expected as technology continues to grow at a rapid pace? What are your thoughts on the subject?
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