I think it is more for Borderline and Bipolars. Narcissistic people are "too good" for social media.
Name
· 3 months ago
I think abutterflyloves hit the nail on the head. Narcissists may use social media, but they'll feel superior to the rest. The Borderlines and Bipolars are definately a majority.
TheWatcher
· 3 months ago
I think that some of the comments here are defensive because they are precisely the narcissistic Facebook obsessed social media junkies that the study is eluding to.
Narcissists need not think they're "too good" for social media (maybe in 1999-2001, but not now....now Facebook is too big for even them to ignore and so the narcissists only resort is to be the hottest most popular kings and queens of social media to satisfy their insecure egos.
...This coming from a Gen Y'er (barely) who got on Facebook back in 2001 but only uses it sparingly now.
Andrea
· 2 weeks ago
It's amazing to me that you got on Facebook before it was even invented. Well done! If you are trying to make a point by exaggerating at least get your facts straight.
mnegrini
· 3 months ago
Fantastic comment, right to the point!
Jesus
· 3 months ago
You nailed it!
w
· 3 months ago
and the fact that we are allowed individual pages and communication tools to this end only contributes to this part of our nature.
this is the product of a merchant satiating the people and not necessarily leading them to where they should be. and that's because they don't decide where society should go.. though they narrowly curate it to end up a particular way (so they can measure it, and convert data into dollars).
feeding the mob with the juicy gossip they want.
Happy Belial Day
sashadoll
· 3 months ago
Of course we are a generation of attention seekers and thrive in the art of 'personal branding'. We are also the generation that grew up being encouraged to be better than our parents, to go to college, get a degree to stand out and 'succeed', in the terms of our parents. More ppl in Gen Y have a 4 yr degree than any other generation, yet we are still struggling to get ahead. When social media utilities came on the scene we identified it as another way to express and differentiate ourselves. When we all have an education... what else can we do?! As far as I'm concerned, we are a generation of overachievers. Narcissistic or not.
Name
· 3 months ago
Then I guess the remaining 43 % must fall into the introverted voyeur category... and that's just feels creepy?
Giannii
· 3 months ago
Truth.
Michael Osterman
· 3 months ago
Interesting study, but the conclusion may be wrong. The study asked young people if they thought that their peers used social networking for self-promotion, etc., but never asked them if they had any empirical evidence to back up their assumption. The study should have asked two questions: 1) have you ever asked your peers why they use social networking and 2) if yes, what response did they give you?
georgiastudent
· 3 months ago
I assumed that the answer they gave about their peers was really a reflection of their own behavior/motivation. Kind of a tricky, revealing question!
Julia Kinslow
· 3 months ago
I think social media attracts all types of people with different reasons for using it. I am using in to network and in my job search process and I've never been considere to be narcissitic or attention-seeking.
stephaniebaffone
· 3 months ago
I would like to think there is something more going on!
Jon Keaty
· 3 months ago
Ridiculous question - there's a major difference between self-promotion and narcissism. A shy introvert can decide on self-promotion strategy via twitter for work related reasons, while hating every minute of it. This researcher weighted the questions to get the answer they wanted (note the book they are pushing!).
Kimber Scott
· 3 months ago
This is an opinion poll, not a study.
Joseph Francis
· 3 months ago
It's definitely why I use it.
Follow me on twitter!
Shava Nerad
· 3 months ago
Um.
"Self-promotion. Narcissism. Attention seeking."
Sounds like LinkedIn -- I'm sure this generation will understand personal branding and do very well in business, if they are picking this up already.
Just kinda kidding.
E
· 3 months ago
Gee, this is hardly rocket science. People who enjoy talking about themselves and broadcasting their activities, however menial, are naturally more interested in themselves. We needed a study to tell us this?!
w
· 3 months ago
for narcissism: yes but also no.
lets face it, people are impressionable in new surroundings and if all we see is self-promotion, then that's all we may try to do just to fit in. However, when they don't realize what purpose certain kinds of self-promotion serve (business), then that's when it becomes primal narcissism and a popularity contest. and if the culture that surrounds us and them wasn't built on self-promotion/self-preservation, then I don't know what it was built on...
but there's something else going on: self-empowerment.
Shava Nerad
· 3 months ago
Also I agree with a previous post. This is not a study of anything but opinion. I remember my opinions of other people's drama when I was younger...:)
My teenage son thinks anyone who's talking about doing well is engaging in self-aggrandizement. But when he brags it is nothing but the truth.
Consider the source?
More substantially, I have young friends on twitter and facebook. Most of them are light and playful types, smart, gifted, and engaging in their share of ego and such -- but they also organize projects, painting parties to help nonprofits freshen churches and nonprofit offices, and various service projects. They coordinate art performances -- drama and music.
On the other hand, I look at the public timeline on twitter and it's easy to see it as pure trash. But my friends on twitter are a lovely bunch of folks who work in technology (including social media!), who are avid gamers, who work and play in virtual worlds and the gaming industry, or who are progressive/liberal folks, and a whole slew of journalist and human rights types.
If you take a broad survey, it's like looking at the public timeline. You know, more people use paper for doodling or printing crap they recycle (at least, I hope they recycle...!) without reading in their homes. But it doesn't make the use of paper trivial to society.
Elizabeth K. Barone
· 3 months ago
This guy knows what he's talking about!
Elizabeth K. Barone
· 3 months ago
My apologies - I completely skipped over HER avatar when I posted this comment.
This GAL knows what SHE'S talking about!
tommytoy
· 3 months ago
I totally agree with those findings, but I would not use the term narcissists to describe Gen-Y's. They are social animals, attention-getters, looking for the latest gadgets, best new movie, music download, anything cool, from fashion to tequila, and social networking gives them that. I have done some studies on Gen-Y and determined that the marketers need to take into account Gen-Y's social needs and must appeal to the Gen-Y's sensory needs--the five senses, smell, sight, hear, taste and touch. The impact must be powerful and overwhelming. An explosion of color, imagery, sound, video, textures, etc. This is why online video, music downloading, Button fashions, the Apple iPhone and iPod, Starbucks, cartoons, MMA and comedy and others have been so successful with Gen-Y's. They are looking for a sensory high, if you will. They have a craving to be part of something, a group, a club, a social networking site. And it just goes on from there.
Name
· 3 months ago
Um, link to the actual study?
Trigeia Twins
· 3 months ago
This is not surprising of course they use it to "Power Me" Its to bad many of them dont realize the value behind a personal brand. Its not just for getting a date or looking cool.
Of course, narcissism isn't limited to "Generation Y". Navel-gazers of all ages can enjoy staring at the lint in their cyber-bellies.
What surprises me, however, is how many people -- of all ages -- are *not* involved in social media. They're busy with something they call "life". Has anyone heard of this?
trushotsphotography
· 3 months ago
Funny how whenever social media comes up in discussion, the idea of which people have "lives" or not comes up. Having a life is more than wandering around outside and drinking...I swear that is what some people call having a "life" as opposed to using social media. Many of the people who ask me why do I have online profiles and say that I should "get a life" are meandering around from bed to bed and bar to bar and call that a life. Whatever.
Here are things that make life worthwhile and what determines if you have a "life": something to do, something to love and something to hope for.
Something to do: career, hobbies, interests--you meet with people via social networks to discuss these things, plan meet ups, get information, network for a career and share photographs after. People no more or less have a life than those who choose not to use social media...the only difference for many is that they are sharing that life with others in a format that varies from a telephone or letter and that is ok.
Something to love: lovers, friends, family--all use social media networks to stay connected when they are far apart and often deepen those relationships because of it. I talk to one of my sisters across the country more now because of FB since it is free unlike some long distance call plans and we can share media with each other and other friends. Friends reunite via social media and lovers have even met via social media sites.
Something to hope for: social causes, political action/change, religious groups or perhaps changing career to something better--people can get involved in through social media networks. There are many people who have "no life" and Internet surf other things all day and do not use social media networks. Using the Internet or not does not automatically determine whether the person has a "life." What matters is how they define that life. Social media can facilitate those definitions and desires.
Furthermore, these are students completing a poll and are not professional mental health clinicians "diagnosing" people with Narcissistic Personality Disorder. We have to be careful to clarify such things. Some business people use other forms of marketing and hate social media and they are still engaging in self-promotion. Are they narcissistic as well? Self promotion and narcissism differ. There is certainly some truth to the idea that students are able to view other students in their own age gorup in somewhat of an accurate perspective. But this "age of entitlement" that the whole study concerns itself with doesn't apply to every population type in gen Y of American society...believe that. I think that those who would fall into that gap probably grew up within a culture, family and lifestyle that is already one of entitlement whether they openly accept that or not. I would like to see this Professor's research just on the age of entitlement in general.
davidstrandberg
· 3 months ago
If you shift the red box up a notch the results would suggest about 65% of the target is relatively uncommitted to their answers. Not sure, at least based on what is presented here, that the research shows much of anything. Guess the other parts of the study help complete the picture.
So, is social media about narcissism and self promotion? Hell, yes. At least a big chunk of it is. Look at the efforts some put into building a following for themselves. Some congratulate themselves in Tweets for having achieved a certain number of followers. One "social media expert" who has thousands of followers thought so much of herself that she announced her birthday 26 times via Tweets a couple of months ago. WTF? We all publish stuff because we think we have something to say that's at least important to us - and hoping it is to someone else (ie, responses like this one).
Are there business applications for social networking? Sure. Can it be used for the common good? Absolutely. We're free to use it any way we want to. And maybe someone at the other end might care.
And then again, maybe they won't (ie., responses like this one).
This story made me laugh, allot in fact. I think this study must have probed responses within a very homogenous group. Narcissists are too good for social media :) They are so good, they would not even stoop to the level of SM. the 1K sample that was participating in a survey are narcissists-wanna-bes.
jtmbls
· 3 months ago
In my own personal, granted - less scientific poll, it is people who don't use Twitter or facebook who seem to have this opinion, or more accurately - judgment about people who do. facebook is a wonderful way to stay connected to the people you love and Twitter is an amazing way to meet and experience people from all over the world that you would never have the opportunity to know otherwise. Relationships are changing and that is a scary thing for some people.
jtmbls
· 3 months ago
In my own personal, granted - less scientific poll, it is the people who don't use facebook and Twitter who seem to have this opinion, or more accurately - judgment about people who do. facebook is a wonderful way to stay connected to the people we love and Twitter is an amazing way to meet and share with people you would most likely never have the opportunity to meet otherwise. Relationships are changing and that can be very scary to some.
Josh Berkley
· 3 months ago
I definitely think there is a psychological high people get from it. People want to be the first one to know about everything and feel like they are the informants of their social networks in order to feel a sense of superiority. Whether that is consciously or subconsciously motivated depends upon the person. I think it is good to engage in these sites though because I feel it is a part of the global culture and culture is meant to be experienced. I can see though how it can seem narcissistic (as some people take it to the extreme).
Jill
· 3 months ago
Most of us just want to look like we have a social life and keep up with friends. Some use Facebook like some kind of personal psychiatrist. Too much information all the time. No, I don't need to read those sad song lyrics which are meant to represent how you feel at this moment in time. Wow, 20 pictures of you getting ready to go out? And no one else is in the picture with you...?
Facebook makes me uncomfortable :(
devadyuti
· 3 months ago
Social Media Is for Narcissists maybe... but Y gen didn't create social networking sites... X and Boomers did. Y gen also didn't create the stupid overcompetitive world where competition becomes narcissism as the only way to get attention of the boring people who have sustained stupid modernist and post-modernist ugliness.
Name
· 3 months ago
@ TommyBoy You must have some good blotter dude! That comment's techno psychedelia. in other more important news... RIP Ted Kennedy
markowe
· 3 months ago
Great article! I'm going to share it on Facebook straight away!
grimli
· 3 months ago
Is Robert Scoble gen-y?
Jeff Stannard
· 3 months ago
There's a segment of twitter users, 'aspiring rappers', who fit this category well. Search: smfh, and they'll bubble right to the service right along with their aspiring fans.
thomkennon
· 3 months ago
These "studies" are so wrong-headed it can drive you nuts.... if you're looking to glean some sort of actionable insight from this type of claptrap, I'd suggest the real numbers to compare are...
Add up the the "neither agree/disagree" and the "disagree somewhat" = ~ 39% Now look at the "agree somewhat" ~ 36%
It's a meaningless tie!
When you ask an utterly slanted and loaded questions like "Do you think your peers are a bunch of vain butt-heads" and then give people 5 possible responses, you either look at the numbers more curiously (as above) or hire a new research dude who can design a more neutral guide.
Jeesh...
TK
April
· 3 months ago
Yes, I've known this for a while. Narcissism / boredom / misanthropically and social media go hand in hand. I use Facebook and Twitter and find 80% of what is posted is complete self-rambling garbage. How many times do I have to hear that so-and-so is "ready for the weekend." Duh.
However, I've gotten really good at scanning the garbage, ignoring the garbage (hiding feeds) and have found it to be a real time saver for keeping in touch with worthwhile friends from around the globe.
Michael Braun
· 3 months ago
If the numbers are truly representative, then 57% of teens use social media for narcissism. But the survey did not ask teens if they themselves used social media for those purposes. Would 57% of teens have responded "yes" to the question "Do you use social networking sites for self-promotion, narcissism and attention seeking?" We don't know, because those who designed the survey didn't ask the question that way.
In communication research, there is a principle called the "third person effect." Basically, it describes how we feel others are frequently affected by media (news coverage, violence, et cetera), but that we ourselves are not affected. For example, "yes, people will see that news story and immediately be against healthcare reform. But no, it has no effect on me." This may be what is at work in this survey.
BlackBoxStrategy
· 3 months ago
There is a huge difference between self-promotion and narcissism and attention seeking. They might as well have asked the question "People in my generation use... for talking with friends... talking about themselves and sharing their lives" It's a really difficult question to disagree with regardless adam www.blackboxstrategy.net
fbrichaut
· 3 months ago
This is nonsense. Might as well say people who engage others in a conversation at the water cooler are narcissists, self-promoters and attention-seeking. Social media enable conversations. The contents of those conversations are as diverse as the people in them. And the personality traits of the users are as diverse as in the population. Such a huge proportion of people are now using social media that you can no longer say it is one "type" who uses it.
And that said, I think that the majority of teens at least (if not all of Gen Y and the rest of us) are narcissistic, self-promoting and attention seeking. For teens, it goes with the territory. Social media is just one of the places where they express those characteristics.
And I'm not just dissing teens. In addition to being N, S-P and A-S, they are also insecure and shy. That part of them gets expressed more in the safety of the home than in public.
Elizabeth K. Barone
· 3 months ago
But I thought teens don't tweet? lmao
At any rate, this is just an opinion poll, as someone already said. Aside from that, how do we know that other generations didn't also take this poll? Come on now.
JR Raphael
· 3 months ago
I'm not a social media narcissist. I'm just really good-looking and send out the most interesting updates around.
Seriously, though, we looked at a different study showing the signs of social network narcissism a few weeks back. Turns out there are four distinct qualities that push you over the edge and officially earn you the self-lovin' label.
As much as I am biased to believe this is true, polls are pretty skewed by definition. The question itself is loaded and asked in a way to support a desired answer pretty much polarizing the results.
Leonard Kish
· 3 months ago
Replace "social networking" with "talking" in the survey, and you'd likely get the same results.
bobjenz
· 3 months ago
clever comment
Michelle
· 3 months ago
"but almost 40% (39.27%) agree that “being self-promoting, narcissistic, overconfident, and attention-seeking is helpful for succeeding in a competitive world.”
This form of self-promotion isn't a social media phenomenon, but a capitalist one. You find the same self-serving behavior offline, at events where people "market themselves, work the room, pitch their companies, sell their ideas", etc.
Danny Cox
· 3 months ago
I personally disagree with the wording of the question. To include self-promotion with narcissism and attention-seeking is a little unfair, in my opinion. As a Public Relations student who has also been in local plays, bands, and worked for local Web sites, I have absolutely used social media for self-promotion. It's a great way to manage one's personal brand, and connect people with an event/cause/show they would be interested in.
However, I don't consider myself narcissistic or an attention-seeker. I consider myself a PR student who understands how to use the medium. I know that many of my fellow PR peers utilize Social Media for the same purposes, which I would categorize under self-promotion. The other two functions have a much more negative connotation, and they're listed after self-promotion.
As with any tool that gains any attention or popularity, there will be the people who use it to its potential, and others who abuse it and use it for the wrong reasons. I would also like to note that, in my experience, most stories you find in the news on social media are negative. This almost undoubtedly affects the perception of how it's used. I'm curious what the answer would be if the subjects were asked how THEY use social media, rather than their perception of their peers.
me
· 3 months ago
this is a compound question. Self-promotion, narcissism, and attention-seeking are three different behaviors. i wish they would disclose how that came to that method of measurement.
Joseph Manna
· 3 months ago
I have to admit, that despite my self-centered tendencies, I wouldn't classify myself as narcissistic. I admit, personal branding and pride itself is more easily achieved through social media. This might be why Gen-Y is catching on quickly.
Gen-X pioneered the applicable uses of technology into daily life and work. For instance, e-mail is a product of Gen-X and they significantly grown the adoption of that technology to other generation. I feel Gen-Y is bridging live, social, public interactions on the Web to the mainstream.
~Joe
Troy
· 3 months ago
Everyone that answered was thinking of someone else they knew, not themselves.
gcuccureddu
· 3 months ago
Just because the Internet centralizes and makes interaction very transparent, does not mean that people "offline" are any different.
Steve Rosenbaum
· 3 months ago
Well, enough about me... Tell me, what do you think about me?
Stuart
· 3 months ago
This entire discussion is completely pointless. Yeah, you know a whole bunch of people who are into Twitter/Facebook for the purposes of "personal branding" whatever the hell that means, but that doesn't constitute a rigorous denial of the statements made in the study. On the other hand, the study poses one question do "people in my generation use social media [...] for self-promotion, narcissism, and attention seeking?" and tries to answer the question of whether gen-y thinks these things are good. As a Gen-Y'er I think we are overall narcissistic and shallow (have you ever read your friends tweets/facebook feeds?) and overall stupid. And to answer the point about having a life. Even if someone is spending all their "real life" time hopping from bed to bed and drinking their days away at least they are having real, visceral interactions with other human beings as opposed to spending their nights at their computer talking to their "friends" on facebook. I have plenty of "friends" on facebook, most of them are people I wouldn't want to talk to in real life. Why are they friends of mine on facebook? you ask if not in real life. Because it doesn't fucking matter. It's facebook. I would rather spend four hours at a bar getting drunk and talking to people and really getting to know random strangers than spending the same time on my computer with my "friends." If they are really your friends pick up a phone, go get a beer, have a cup of coffee, watch a movie together, make love, do something real and important and visceral and complete. That is the problem with my generation. We want instant e-gratification, we can't put in the time for real life. We want to just have something quick and easy and non-intrusive.
hurtzsogood
· 3 months ago
Let me throw a clue out to everybody: All we hear is twitter, facebook, and my space, what about the smaller and slightly more adult/cam type sites? Stickam-cam site where 15-mid 20 something girls go on cam with a bunch of horney guys waiting for them to lift their shirts, all by they way dress sleazy and are fairly whored up. FUBAR the first on line bar a huge popularity contest where (mostly women cause us men are pigs) use the lure of naked pics to get guys to join their fan base or even spend real money up to 100 dollars an hour to boost their popularity. And I am sure there are hundreds of others I get sick of the physco babble as to the relevance of these sites and we waste money studying it. Boarderline this or that I don't unerstand but straight up exhibitionists I do understand and some people's overwhelming desire to feel WANTED or whatever. Kind of like the girl who goes the club in a skirt so short the slightest of breezes shows off the goodies attention whores (layman terms) but throw this in the who cares pile already.
leonard waks
· 3 months ago
This study is hopeless a-contextual. In the era of steady jobs based on credentials acquired in colleges and professional schools the average joe or jane did not have to be self-promotional. Today, when they are trained not to expect loyalty from employers and see their peers and themselves regularly tossed unceremoniously out on the street everyone needs to be self-promotional. The same is true in the social sphere; when the vast majority married before 25 and divorce was rare there was no need for social self-promotion. Today, as everyone expects to be lied to and dumped, people need a Plan B, and that involves self-promotion.
If this involves narcissim, one has to wonder whether that is the cause of our current culture or the effect.
amazon coupons
· 3 months ago
Thanks for great information.
alexiwp
· 3 months ago
No surprise there!
ahoova
· 2 months ago
a very similar study was done by Yarden Lewinsky in 2007 (but it is in hebrew). Ayelet Noff translated the study and wrote about it back in 2007 and it is a fascinating read.
What I find most interesting is this whole aspect of social media when it comes to getting jobs, how new and old rules collide.
The old school rule said to NEVER mail a photo of yourself with a resume. The new school rule says you must invest in personal branding which includes writing a blog and having a Facebook page, both of which will very likely include your picture.
We then hear that employers everywhere Google candidates nowadays. Why is it okay to post a picture of yourself online yet not send one via snail mail?
Jamie
· 1 month ago
Not to offend any users but there has always been something foul about such sites (IMHO) in that it distracts from actual contact and connection in "real time".
Though the intentions for the site may have been originally benevolent, for me it smacks of blatant self promotion in the genre of narcissim and self centeredness in a culture where everyone wants to be a celebrity/popular. And while there are surely some people on there without such traits or intentions, it also seems to be related to being pretentious, social climbing and an all around attention seeking and look at me and how many friends/connections I have attitude that pervades our culture. Are the majority of these people really your true friends?
I do not have an account but have perused the site on several occasions to feel it out. I know anytime someone ask me if I am on Facebook I have to refrain from rolling my eyes. It is much more refreshing to see an authentic person rather than an advertisement.
All Comments
Narcissists need not think they're "too good" for social media (maybe in 1999-2001, but not now....now Facebook is too big for even them to ignore and so the narcissists only resort is to be the hottest most popular kings and queens of social media to satisfy their insecure egos.
...This coming from a Gen Y'er (barely) who got on Facebook back in 2001 but only uses it sparingly now.
If you are trying to make a point by exaggerating at least get your facts straight.
this is the product of a merchant satiating the people and not necessarily leading them to where they should be. and that's because they don't decide where society should go.. though they narrowly curate it to end up a particular way (so they can measure it, and convert data into dollars).
feeding the mob with the juicy gossip they want.
Happy Belial Day
Follow me on twitter!
"Self-promotion. Narcissism. Attention seeking."
Sounds like LinkedIn -- I'm sure this generation will understand personal branding and do very well in business, if they are picking this up already.
Just kinda kidding.
lets face it, people are impressionable in new surroundings and if all we see is self-promotion, then that's all we may try to do just to fit in. However, when they don't realize what purpose certain kinds of self-promotion serve (business), then that's when it becomes primal narcissism and a popularity contest. and if the culture that surrounds us and them wasn't built on self-promotion/self-preservation, then I don't know what it was built on...
but there's something else going on: self-empowerment.
My teenage son thinks anyone who's talking about doing well is engaging in self-aggrandizement. But when he brags it is nothing but the truth.
Consider the source?
More substantially, I have young friends on twitter and facebook. Most of them are light and playful types, smart, gifted, and engaging in their share of ego and such -- but they also organize projects, painting parties to help nonprofits freshen churches and nonprofit offices, and various service projects. They coordinate art performances -- drama and music.
On the other hand, I look at the public timeline on twitter and it's easy to see it as pure trash. But my friends on twitter are a lovely bunch of folks who work in technology (including social media!), who are avid gamers, who work and play in virtual worlds and the gaming industry, or who are progressive/liberal folks, and a whole slew of journalist and human rights types.
If you take a broad survey, it's like looking at the public timeline. You know, more people use paper for doodling or printing crap they recycle (at least, I hope they recycle...!) without reading in their homes. But it doesn't make the use of paper trivial to society.
This GAL knows what SHE'S talking about!
Tips for creating a smoking personal brand http://www.trigeia.com/article.php?id=88037
What surprises me, however, is how many people -- of all ages -- are *not* involved in social media. They're busy with something they call "life". Has anyone heard of this?
Here are things that make life worthwhile and what determines if you have a "life": something to do, something to love and something to hope for.
Something to do: career, hobbies, interests--you meet with people via social networks to discuss these things, plan meet ups, get information, network for a career and share photographs after. People no more or less have a life than those who choose not to use social media...the only difference for many is that they are sharing that life with others in a format that varies from a telephone or letter and that is ok.
Something to love: lovers, friends, family--all use social media networks to stay connected when they are far apart and often deepen those relationships because of it. I talk to one of my sisters across the country more now because of FB since it is free unlike some long distance call plans and we can share media with each other and other friends. Friends reunite via social media and lovers have even met via social media sites.
Something to hope for: social causes, political action/change, religious groups or perhaps changing career to something better--people can get involved in through social media networks. There are many people who have "no life" and Internet surf other things all day and do not use social media networks. Using the Internet or not does not automatically determine whether the person has a "life." What matters is how they define that life. Social media can facilitate those definitions and desires.
Furthermore, these are students completing a poll and are not professional mental health clinicians "diagnosing" people with Narcissistic Personality Disorder. We have to be careful to clarify such things. Some business people use other forms of marketing and hate social media and they are still engaging in self-promotion. Are they narcissistic as well? Self promotion and narcissism differ. There is certainly some truth to the idea that students are able to view other students in their own age gorup in somewhat of an accurate perspective. But this "age of entitlement" that the whole study concerns itself with doesn't apply to every population type in gen Y of American society...believe that. I think that those who would fall into that gap probably grew up within a culture, family and lifestyle that is already one of entitlement whether they openly accept that or not. I would like to see this Professor's research just on the age of entitlement in general.
So, is social media about narcissism and self promotion? Hell, yes. At least a big chunk of it is. Look at the efforts some put into building a following for themselves. Some congratulate themselves in Tweets for having achieved a certain number of followers. One "social media expert" who has thousands of followers thought so much of herself that she announced her birthday 26 times via Tweets a couple of months ago. WTF? We all publish stuff because we think we have something to say that's at least important to us - and hoping it is to someone else (ie, responses like this one).
Are there business applications for social networking? Sure. Can it be used for the common good? Absolutely. We're free to use it any way we want to. And maybe someone at the other end might care.
And then again, maybe they won't (ie., responses like this one).
David Strandberg, Minneapolis
http://web.mac.com/david.strandberg
Facebook makes me uncomfortable :(
in other more important news...
RIP Ted Kennedy
Add up the the "neither agree/disagree" and the "disagree somewhat" = ~ 39%
Now look at the "agree somewhat" ~ 36%
It's a meaningless tie!
When you ask an utterly slanted and loaded questions like "Do you think your peers are a bunch of vain butt-heads" and then give people 5 possible responses, you either look at the numbers more curiously (as above) or hire a new research dude who can design a more neutral guide.
Jeesh...
TK
However, I've gotten really good at scanning the garbage, ignoring the garbage (hiding feeds) and have found it to be a real time saver for keeping in touch with worthwhile friends from around the globe.
In communication research, there is a principle called the "third person effect." Basically, it describes how we feel others are frequently affected by media (news coverage, violence, et cetera), but that we ourselves are not affected. For example, "yes, people will see that news story and immediately be against healthcare reform. But no, it has no effect on me." This may be what is at work in this survey.
adam
www.blackboxstrategy.net
And that said, I think that the majority of teens at least (if not all of Gen Y and the rest of us) are narcissistic, self-promoting and attention seeking. For teens, it goes with the territory. Social media is just one of the places where they express those characteristics.
And I'm not just dissing teens. In addition to being N, S-P and A-S, they are also insecure and shy. That part of them gets expressed more in the safety of the home than in public.
At any rate, this is just an opinion poll, as someone already said. Aside from that, how do we know that other generations didn't also take this poll? Come on now.
Seriously, though, we looked at a different study showing the signs of social network narcissism a few weeks back. Turns out there are four distinct qualities that push you over the edge and officially earn you the self-lovin' label.
http://www.esarcasm.com/2181/four-signs-you-may...
This form of self-promotion isn't a social media phenomenon, but a capitalist one. You find the same self-serving behavior offline, at events where people "market themselves, work the room, pitch their companies, sell their ideas", etc.
However, I don't consider myself narcissistic or an attention-seeker. I consider myself a PR student who understands how to use the medium. I know that many of my fellow PR peers utilize Social Media for the same purposes, which I would categorize under self-promotion. The other two functions have a much more negative connotation, and they're listed after self-promotion.
As with any tool that gains any attention or popularity, there will be the people who use it to its potential, and others who abuse it and use it for the wrong reasons. I would also like to note that, in my experience, most stories you find in the news on social media are negative. This almost undoubtedly affects the perception of how it's used. I'm curious what the answer would be if the subjects were asked how THEY use social media, rather than their perception of their peers.
Gen-X pioneered the applicable uses of technology into daily life and work. For instance, e-mail is a product of Gen-X and they significantly grown the adoption of that technology to other generation. I feel Gen-Y is bridging live, social, public interactions on the Web to the mainstream.
~Joe
And to answer the point about having a life. Even if someone is spending all their "real life" time hopping from bed to bed and drinking their days away at least they are having real, visceral interactions with other human beings as opposed to spending their nights at their computer talking to their "friends" on facebook. I have plenty of "friends" on facebook, most of them are people I wouldn't want to talk to in real life. Why are they friends of mine on facebook? you ask if not in real life. Because it doesn't fucking matter. It's facebook. I would rather spend four hours at a bar getting drunk and talking to people and really getting to know random strangers than spending the same time on my computer with my "friends." If they are really your friends pick up a phone, go get a beer, have a cup of coffee, watch a movie together, make love, do something real and important and visceral and complete. That is the problem with my generation. We want instant e-gratification, we can't put in the time for real life. We want to just have something quick and easy and non-intrusive.
If this involves narcissim, one has to wonder whether that is the cause of our current culture or the effect.
http://www.blonde2dot0.com/blog/2007/09/18/what...
The old school rule said to NEVER mail a photo of yourself with a resume.
The new school rule says you must invest in personal branding which includes writing a blog and having a Facebook page, both of which will very likely include your picture.
We then hear that employers everywhere Google candidates nowadays. Why is it okay to post a picture of yourself online yet not send one via snail mail?
Though the intentions for the site may have been originally benevolent, for me it smacks of blatant self promotion in the genre of narcissim and self centeredness in a culture where everyone wants to be a celebrity/popular. And while there are surely some people on there without such traits or intentions, it also seems to be related to being pretentious, social climbing and an all around attention seeking and look at me and how many friends/connections I have attitude that pervades our culture. Are the majority of these people really your true friends?
I do not have an account but have perused the site on several occasions to feel it out. I know anytime someone ask me if I am on Facebook I have to refrain from rolling my eyes. It is much more refreshing to see an authentic person rather than an advertisement.