How to Spot a Narcissist Online
The study, which found that people higher in narcissism were more active on Facebook, points out that you tend to encounter “identity statements” on social networks more than you would in real life. When you’re introduced to someone in person, it’s unlikely that they’ll bust out with a pithy sound bite that attempts to sum up all that they are and all they hope to be, but people do that in their Twitter bio or Facebook “About Me” section all the time.
.. But it’s important to narrow in farther and distinguish what kinds of activity the narcissists are engaging in
.. Overall, Twitter use was more correlated with narcissism, but lead researcher Shaun W. Davenport, chair of management and entrepreneurship at High Point University, points out that there was a key difference between generations. Older narcissists were more likely to take to Facebook, whereas younger narcissists were more active on Twitter.
.. For older adults who didn’t grow up using Facebook, it takes more intentional motives [to use it], like narcissism.”
.. “What you find in real life with narcissists is that they’re very good at gaining friends and becoming leaders, but eventually people see through them and stop liking them,” he says.
.. There’s a reason why, on reality TV, you find high levels of narcissism. It’s entertaining.”
.. And if that power comes through violence, so much the better. Narcissism has been linked to aggression, another reason for the games’ appeal.
.. “Narcissists typically have very high self esteem but it’s very fragile self esteem, so when someone attacks them, that self-esteem takes a dramatic nosedive,” Davenport says.
.. the accusation that Generation Y, or—my least favorite term—Millennials, is the most narcissistic generation yet has been backed up by data, he wonders if it’s less a generational problem than just a general shift in our society.