A study conducted by the University of Michigan claims that social media websites like Facebook and Twitter are a narcissist magnet. For example, young adults of college age and their adult counterparts are using such services in order to bolster their egos and control perceptions of others. It was also suggested that vain college-age students prefer using Twitter to make their opinions and views seem important.
According to a University of Michigan researcher, social networking is about making individual’s image, how they are seen, and also checking on how others respond to that image. Apparently, the young tend to overvaluate the importance of their own opinions. For example, via Twitter, they are trying to broaden their social circles while broadcasting their views about various topics and issues.
In the meantime, adults exhibiting narcissism also tend to prefer Facebook for the same purpose. The study suggests that middle-aged adults normally have already formed their social selves and they just use social media in order to gain approval from people who are already in their social circles. The study tried to find out whether the narcissistic behavior was related to the amount of time a person spent posting, reading posts and commenting.
Thus, people were divided into two groups. The first tested 486 college students with an average age of 19 over the extent of their social media usage. The group also took part in a personality assessment measuring exhibitionism, superiority, authority, and self-sufficiency. It appeared that young adult college students who used Twitter extensively scored higher in certain types of narcissism.
The second group of the study focused on 93 adults with an average age of 35. The group completed a similar online survey, and it also turned out that middle-aged adults narcissists posted more frequent status updates on Facebook as well.
According to a University of Michigan researcher, social networking is about making individual’s image, how they are seen, and also checking on how others respond to that image. Apparently, the young tend to overvaluate the importance of their own opinions. For example, via Twitter, they are trying to broaden their social circles while broadcasting their views about various topics and issues.
In the meantime, adults exhibiting narcissism also tend to prefer Facebook for the same purpose. The study suggests that middle-aged adults normally have already formed their social selves and they just use social media in order to gain approval from people who are already in their social circles. The study tried to find out whether the narcissistic behavior was related to the amount of time a person spent posting, reading posts and commenting.
Thus, people were divided into two groups. The first tested 486 college students with an average age of 19 over the extent of their social media usage. The group also took part in a personality assessment measuring exhibitionism, superiority, authority, and self-sufficiency. It appeared that young adult college students who used Twitter extensively scored higher in certain types of narcissism.
The second group of the study focused on 93 adults with an average age of 35. The group completed a similar online survey, and it also turned out that middle-aged adults narcissists posted more frequent status updates on Facebook as well.
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