Written by: Shuvee Lamichhane - 29033, Grade VII
Posted on: 26 January, 2024
Social Media has definitely increased the uptick of narcissism and this phenomenon doesn’t seem to be going away. No matter how you think about it it is impossible to turn a blind eye to the rise of social media. Especially at the different workplaces. Studies show that 77 percent of workers use social media but most companies don’t have a social media policy in place. This may lead to lower productivity of workers.
Although narcissism is regarded as the modern epidemic the term narcissism originated about 2000 years ago. It originated with the legend of narcissus who is a Greek hunter who falls in love with his own reflection and is so fixated on himself that he ultimately dies. The psychological definition of narcissism is an inflated, grandiose self-image. A narcissist is a person who thinks that they are more important than other people and need special importance and attention. According to the literature narcissism is a cluster of behaviors that focuses on keeping one-self high and putting others down.
Narcissists can be categorized into 4 different types. Grandiose narcissists are egotistical and arrogant seeking limelight and power, covert or vulnerable always blame the world for not seeing their greatness, Communal narcs like to boast about the good work they do for the poor or society, while internally they lack empathy for the people they show help towards, Malignant ones are the criminals of society; they are narcs who can steal, lie, and cheat without caring about hurting others. Although social media might seem innocent in the topic of narcissism it is evidently not. It is just the perfect playground for narcissists to flaunt their so-called greatness.
According to Dr Ramani, the simple existence of such a tool (social media) has made it possible for narcissists to get validation from the whole world instead of just their close kin and connections and in a sense it has also increased the number of narcissists.
