Is Social Media Making Us More Narcissistic (Essay Sample)

Is social media making us more narcissistic? At first glance, this seems like an obvious question. Social media, especially Instagram, is all about finding the best picture of yourself and editing it and adding filters until you are almost unrecognizable. Then, you upload the picture to your profile and wait for the likes and comments to pour in. If you’re posting a picture of yourself posing and preening, then you may not have to worry about positive feedback. If you’re posting a picture with a political view or an otherwise controversial statement, you may find yourself in a heated comment war. 

But back to the original question. Does social media truly make us more ego-centric? Let’s look at the evidence. According to a 2018 study, people who post large amounts of pictures on sites such as Facebook or Instagram show a 25% increase in quantifiable narcissism over time. However, looking further, this study shows only a correlation between social media usage and narcissism, not a specific causation. Furthermore, the relationship between posting and self-centeredness was shown only when communication was visual, as opposed to verbal. 

Additionally, Newport Institute speculates that the nature of the media and add-ons contribute to narcissism. For example, the like button on Instagram shows the user exactly how many people have approved of their picture. This can directly lead to competitiveness between users, and reduce one’s self-esteem if they get less likes than their peers. As a result, Instagram (in 2019) began “hiding likes on its stories.”