Is Social Media Making Us More Narcissistic

Me.

Me.

Me.

That’s all we ever hear about anymore.

Look at what I’m doing. Look at where I went. Look at what I’m eating. Look at all of my followers.

Me.

Me.

Me.

Now I understand that apps like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube amplify narcissism in certain people, but they also covertly create it in others.

We all know the type: the " Pick-Me” boy or girl constantly posting selfies or collages of what they’re doing. The guy who takes video selfies in the club or videos the concert for far too long. The girl who posts the perfect girl’s weekend, where all the pictures are perfectly crafted and show just how popular you are. The man who’s constantly posting political rants showing just how informed he is and letting everyone know that he can fix the country. The woman who is always posting videos of their kids or talking about how smart, cute, or inciteful they are, even though they spent thirty minutes trying to get the video.

At first, this may seem harmless, normal, or even expected in this day and age. But what social media does is make these people, or these types of people, believe that other people want to see that. There’s nothing wrong with posting occasionally or connecting with people, but whenever you get any level of serotonin from people interacting and liking your posts, it’s gone too far.

Social media creates narcissism in otherwise humble human beings. The rush and feeling of getting so many likes or going even a little bit viral is not only addicting but also makes you feel more important than you are.

“Everyone wants to see what I’m doing, so I must post about it.”

Social media makes people believe the statement above is true. So, they not only try to post more and more, but they also spend more and more time trying to take the perfect picture or create the perfect video.

Social media is a two-pronged cancer plaguing society. Its benefits are heavily outweighed by its negatives. There needs to be a concerted effort to lessen the time spent on social media. Parents need to not allow their kids to create accounts, adults need to be more disciplined with their screen time, and these companies must consider what they’re doing to society.

We need to prioritize real-life interactions more than ones on social media.

We need to prioritize how we view ourselves instead of how people on the internet see us.

Instead of creating selfishness, we need to create selflessness.