A recent polling of 3,700 college students ranked Instagram.com the “most narcissistic” social media app of their generation.
A large majority of students polled (64%) ranked the photo sharing app more narcissistic than Facebook (10%), Snapchat (15%) and Twitter.com (11%) combined.
Young adults and children as young as elementary school age are consumed with social media and the pursuit of the perfect selfie.
Psychologists say the obsession with social media is spawning a generation of narcissists and sociopaths. Psychologists warn that subclinical narcissism is on the rise in America.
Like the celebrities they idolize, narcissists on social media need admiration from others to feed their grandiose personalities.
“They use these platforms to boast of their daily tidings, carefully craft their public image, and feed their egos in this interconnected digital age,” says researchers.
They noted that social media apps, which were intended to help people stay connected, has been convoluted to “create an entirely new persona, void of reality.”
78% of students polled said they know someone who deletes Instagram or Facebook posts if they don’t get enough likes.
According to Socialmediatoday.com, “narcissists prefer superficial connections with other people, and are really bad at listening and expressing empathy – this again makes social networks a very tempting environment for them.”
How To Spot Narcissists Online
Socialmediatoday.com put together a list of traits that narcissists share.
Narcissists tend to…
1. Post photos more often, prefer Twitter.com to Facebook
2. Wear name brand, flashy clothing in photos
3. Wear excessive makeup and expose more cleavage (females)
4. Less likely to wear sunglasses in photos (males)
5. Select profile photos that emphasis their attractiveness
6. Have more superficial “friends” online than offline
7. Spend less time on cell phones than non-narcissists
8. Avoid social interaction online, but monitors social media feeds of others
9. Engage in cyberbullying and use profanity more often
10. Attract attention to themselves by direct verbal attacks
