Rachael Croker doesn’t just see the sights as she travels around south-east Asia, she blogs them too, in order to “sound exciting”. ”I want to make people a bit jealous – so, even when we’re a bit down, we can see that others would love to be where we are, and we stop moaning.”
Is social networking as much about promoting yourself as it is for maintaining friendships and sharing interesting things?
Psychologist W Keith Campbell has found that narcissists are attracted to Facebook because it allows them control over their image.
“They pick attractive pictures of themselves instead of snapshots; they are more likely to have glamour shots and more self-promoting descriptions of themselves.”
Of course, not all users are self-obsessed and Campbell speculates that the generation gap, between older people who are less comfortable giving up their privacy and younger people who don’t care, will become a thing of the past.
So what’s this blog, your twitter account and everything else you do to manage your image about? The ultimate narcissism?
- slightly different (there’s 8 of us and we talk a bit more than just ourselves) – but point taken.:) Phillis
Well, that’s clearly nonsense.
Gaz
Professor of Everything
c/o a Big Expensive Mansion in Bermuda
Please reply via any good Hollywood star – they all know me, cos I’m great.
As someone with *very* narcissistic traits, I actually hate Facebook (though I admit – I do have an account). I blog a lot though and am a Twitter addict so these probably reflect my narcissism in a similar way.
I certainly can see how sites like FB and Bebo would promote self-obsession though, especially if the personnel concerned obsessively use them. But clearly a qualification is needed that not all such people are likely to be narcissists, which of course is acknowledged by the article.
lol. Nice pic of miss piggy in bondage!
Of course the users of social networking site are self-obsessed.
But as voyeurs, why do we find it fascinating to watch?
Status update, “just having a cup of tea, then taking a stroll down the road”
hey you could be right i have a glamour picture lol not sure im a narcissist
Isn’t Internet a thing of beauty?
OMG – Miss Piggy with a nipple LOL. I’ll never be able to watch the Muppets Movie (Great by the way) in the same way again. Narcissistic Facebookers – Much editing in photoshop methinks. Phillis we wuv you.
Fair play for experimental rigour, but it has to be the least earth shattering announcement of all time – “People on Facebook portray themselves in a flattering light”
What a lot of absolute bollocks! Its just a way of keeping in touch with friends … and the questions are asked of you about yourself when you first join any Social Network thats the reason we fill them out …I don’t use Twitter so i cant account for that but certainly with Facebook it asks you.. What’s on your mind? and you want people to take an interest so you might fill that out i don’t no (with me anyway) 2 times a day and see if people comment and (a new feature) “Like” the status you have filled out… There is nothing self-obsessed about Facebook only that this particular Social network asks you questions and you fill them out to bulk up your profile and make it look more exciting to read and look at ! As i said i cannot comment on Twitter as i don’t use it.
I dunno, surely we do this kind of image control in ‘real’ life also… so digital social networking is just an extension of this?
(Until we get drunk, then all bets are of in both mediums!)
That Ms Piggy photo of her with a ‘wardrobe malfuction’ will forever scar my mind…
‘It’s nice to have Facebook friends, but I’ve realised that there not that much use when times are hard. Smile and Facebook smiles with you -frown,and you’re alone’ I’ve met one of my virtual friends & he turned out tobe a ‘gigolo’….it’s a fun way to pass time facebook, but I prefer my real friends.
whats wrong with being narcisstic?
im quite happy to admit im self obsessed. Although for every reasonable picture of me on facebook some loon posts one of me drunk looking like fozzie bear. Although even im not so self obsessed to think of having a twitter account. Is it wrong that i find that pic of miss piggy strangely sexy?
To say that social networking sites are “just” a means of keeping in touch with friends is misguided. Sure, keeping in touch is a big part of it… but why do you fill out those surveys, those inane “pick 5″ things and feel the need to “like” everything? As Zack says above, it’s to make you “look more exciting”. In short, it’s to prove to everyone else that you’re worth something.
Zack above seems to deny that this is narcissism, but part of being narcissistic is loving/obsessing over yourself so much that you think everyone else should be too. To “bulk up your profile” and “make it look more exciting” is a means of doing this.
Twitter, too, is narcissistic, but in a different way. On Twitter it’s about what you say, and feeling that it’s important enough to share. Same with blogging.
I don’t see facebook that way. I’m into the social media scene in a big way, you can find me all over in one way or another. The photos you see of me on facebook or twitter, is the real me, no photoshopping involved. The picture on there is about 6 months old, just after a haircut.
I just love to connect with interesting people. If they love themselves that much, then hey what ever floats their boat.
Yeah I’ve seen this kind of things with my mates, they all have pics that look nothing like them because they’re covered in makeup or have their hair done specially, its a bit silly
Also, that pictures disturbing! I clicked onto the site, see Miss Piggy with her nipple hanging out and then i turn the telly over to E4 and theres a muppet movie on! I can’t watch it now, I’ll be too disturbed 
Its 50/50. I use facebook to talk to mates and family who are spread far and wide. But I have friends who change their picture daily (some times several times a day!) and a few of them even have Facebook groups just about them! Now if that’s not narcissistic I don’t know what is!! lol!
ha well some people might be like that but i sure aren’t i literally just use it to keep in contact with people & “meet” people from across the world & such
even in my photos with Derren i look a twit haha he looks devilishly handsome though as always (some people) 
as for my profile pics they’re never glamorous hahah I wish
I have NEVER had a glamourous pic of myself taken in my life ahaha I always look right ugly berk in photos always have always will hahaha
hey ho
I’m one of those people who don’t bloomin’ care to be honest
you don’t like me that’s fine whatever I’m not gonna brag about things or pretend to be something I’m not or whatever to get people to like me or to make people jealous i’m not that kinda person
some people may like to do that sorta thing but not me
I think that that’s true, but it’s a very surface level assesment. People will rarely wish to portray themselves in an unflattering light so obviously in avoiding that they would then make decisions such as choosing pictures of them that look good and such. Though I think if you are taking glamour shots just for your facebook profile picture…that’s a little narcissistic.
Surely it’s no more narcissistic than smiling in photos – I often think I’m odd because I much prefer candid photos to smiling ones. Point a camera at anyone, and most people will try so hard to look happy that they often make themselves look less attractive.
Kudos to Coops, btw, for his broody photo earlier in the blog – and to the photographer for recognising what a good shot it’d make.
it bugs me though, when people un-tag themselves from photos… it’s like saying “nope, that’s not me – I don’t look like that really”. It speaks volumes about their self image. Aw, now I’ve thought about it, I feel bad for them.
I use facebook but i dont tweet! I am not so into it now… I still like adding new (natural) pics of myself and others from special occassions just so i can see ppls comments to give me a giggle or a smile as well as an occassional status update!
But a lot of ppl are on it every minute of the day and change things constantly as well as putting status updates every 5 mins about how hot they are or how down they feel just so ppl will comment and make them feel they are something better than everyone else.
I know a few of my facebook “friends” who do this and i always see it as quite sad, as it makes me wonder what their real life is like if they feel they have to do this!
Loving the pic! Is Miss Piggy single??? Lol
i dunno if i’d go so far as to call em narcissists…but nobody would start a facebook page to make themselves look like crap!
[...] phillis wrote an interesting post today onNarcissists are attracted to <b>Facebook</b> because it allows them <b>…</b>Here’s a quick excerpt [...]
I am a bit narcissistic. I would love to have a better looking pic posting on my facebook. It is perfectly fine to have self-love. Being addicted to a social network is a troubling issue though. I love facebook and like to post my little notes/journal to express/relfect myself. However, I found Tweeter a bit of pointless. Maybe it is just another new age culture which I have not yet adapted. Only stalkers would like to know someone else’s status 24/7 and stalkers are often not welcomed.
some of us sell our selves through “social networking” sites like facebook, some of us have entire websites with a team of people dedicated promoting our desired image! i think we’re all guilty of this to some degree??
Oh, such narrow minded points they mention here .. there are many reasons why you like to have a page on facebook or whatever system on the internet, and why quite a lot take pictures of theirselves they actually like and so and so on. Privacy will always be a matter to part of the internet population and to others less. It’s not a matter of age. And also, outside the internet some people babble about their private stuf with just anybody and others dont. So not a real difference.
Ofcourse there will be a few narcissist on the internet, but to see them as the standard ?? That’s narrow minded. Also, true narcissist dont need their best pictures … some among those people will see every pic of theirselves as good enough for all those not so beautifull and clever people around.
The researcher isn’t saying everyone on Facebook is narcy-farcy, only that such types are *attracted to it. You can spot them immediately, because well over 50% of their photos are just of THEMSELVES. As for the rest of us, it’s difficult not to succumb to the peer pressure to get on MyFace/Twitbox. (I don’t and won’t, but there’s pressure).
As for Twitts: “…currently reading Derren’s blog, in my new fabulous bathrobe. I look great doing this. Video of me reading his blog will be up soon.”
cheers,
Chris
I agree some what. My pics are pretty glamourous, but since I’m beautiful I don’t see a problem in sharing that with the world. LOL ;p
I guess the way I look at it is that its an outlet for self expression as well as a way of keeping in touch with ppl we probably normally wouldn’t. Through facebook I’ve managed to keep in touch with all my old primary and secondary school friends. See them get married and have children. In some way, I think thats rather nice.
Also its a way of meeting friends of friends and possibly meeting future dates. I know my Aunt found her current boyfrriend that way.
I am actually a pretty private person, which is bloody ironic that I should be laying out my life on these things. I am considering making it less personal.
OH and one more thing. Facebook helps me keep in touch with people that I’ve met ALL across the world. It is bloody hard work trying to keep up with all the different time zones.
Oh and the ppl that are making comments about Derren’s facebook page and self promotion should realise that Derren has to self promote in order to put dinner on the table. I guess it comes with the job. However I think in real life if he wasn’t in the spotlight he probably would be some sort of private hermit, living in a cave, with a book in hand and a lifetime’s supply of quality food.
Hmmm. I don’t know whether I’m narcissistic with my facebook account or not. For every profile picture of me taken 5 to 10 years ago I break the cardinal rule of facebook on a regular basis… “Don’t make yourself look bad in print because potential employers might access your account”.
Self absorbed maybe, flattering… I don’t think my account is that flattering at all. Most potential employers would run screaming
i think Facebook (other social networking sites are available) is a double edged sword. You want people you know and love to know what’s going on in your life but unfortunately (unless you restrict your profile with privacy settings and the like) your friendly neighbourhood stalker also gets a look in.
I think a blog is more likely to show narcissistic tendencies – after all who really cares if you’re off to the vets with the moggy on Thursday and today you had a massive row with your boss?
oh we’re all just interacting, who gives a shit, really, come on, we constantly live behind a veil of fear and these blogs/website/clubs/cafes/theatre/etc whatever allow us either, to reveal a little of ourselves or put on a new mask, as we are phenomenal beings without much consciousness of being such we cannot even really know ourselves even in deep meditation & living a life of still the great play and still surprise you because you are not you & you never will be. It’s a great big play, a song & a dance, everything is and isn’t ……..don’t try to understand it and don’t try not to understand It……..laughing Buddha. Had Derren caught me as I have responde to his blog or have I acted out of free will not therefore not giving a shit what I responde or not, no-one can know for sure.
And why exclusively to facebook?
Does anyone here know _any_ website on the whole Internet which rejects your avatar, because you’re wearing too much make-up, used to much photoshop or just for some reason you look much better on it, than the photo your mate took in the morning with his telephone after a drunken night 0,24 second after you woke up?
I think that’s true in a sense – it isn’t so much that someone is attracted to facebook, but yes people like control over their image so it only makes sense that someone uploads photos they like.
But it’s just another one of those pointless common sense things that a psychologist has decided to promote :l
Forget narcissism, in the US no Facebooking if you haven’t paid your taxes…
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125132627009861985.html
surely everyone wants others to think the best of them.
which would then lead to you not putting truly disgusting pictures of yourself up on facebook.
If you want to go about making some new friends then you would want to sound interesting.
which would then lead to you making interesting status updates ect.
isnt it human nature to want to be more interesting, seem more pretty, and seem more popular to all those people on facebook who you barely know, but still added as friends.
Its just us trying to seem a better person.
where’s what I interpret
narcissistic = people who bother too much about their appearance
but then again, it’s hard to gauge what’s “too much”.
do we call every customer who enters a clothing retail to pick out the best outfit (duh) narcissistic?
I have been involved in a fetsih environment for a while now, and have two distinctly different profiles online. A vanilla profile on facebook, which i use regularly to keep in touch with friends and family, and a twitter profile, which reflects my fetish interests, and is almost like an alter ego, useful for making contacts and expressing my submissive tendencies. Not sure what this says about my psychological build, but hoping this doesn’t mean i’m narcissistic x 2,. more split personality (disorder?)…
it quite clearly says your a bit kinky! – Phillis
its MISS PIGGY as JANET JACKSON from superbowl wardrobe malfunction!!!