The New Generation of Narcissism
Our generation is arguably very different from past generations. The influence of technology and social media trends has drastically changed how we think about and see the world. Of course, there are differences between all generations. Still, the ever-changing trends and values of Gen Z make it incredibly confusing for non-members. One recurring complaint from other generations, that we seem oblivious to, is our intense self-infatuation.
As Gen Z, we grew up with many media platforms. I’ve had an Instagram since elementary school and a Snapchat since middle school. Not to mention the long list of other platforms we had available back then: Vine, Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook, Musically, etc. All of these platforms have one thing in common: a space to put the spotlight on yourself. These apps are meant for us to showcase ourselves in any way we like. We post pictures of ourselves, videos, thoughts we’ve had, life statuses, etc. This causes us to constantly think about how we portray ourselves. We persistently evaluate the quality of our content, our looks, and our personality. We put more effort into making our profile look favorable than we put into our actual life. The result? A generation of narcissists.
Don’t get me wrong; I'm not scolding everyone who uses social media. After all, I partake just as much as other people. But being aware of how it affects us can help us see the reality. Older generations are complaining about our egotism. There's no doubt we are more individualistic than prior generations, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. However, we’ve started to push ourselves to a toxic point. As social beings, we are not meant to spend this much time analyzing superficial aspects of ourselves. This is taking away from practicing meaningful self-reflection. According to research done by Tasha Eurich, only about 12-15% of Americans have a good sense of self-awareness. Our intellectual growth is lacking, which simultaneously affects the people around us. Time thinking about our relationships with others, experiences, and emotions gets replaced with perfecting our Insta feed. No wonder we are so infatuated with the online version of ourselves.
Another contribution to this new age of self-absorption is the mass social media trends of “self-love.” Everywhere on Instagram, you can see messages promoting self-love and ego-boosting. Loving yourself is great; however, there is a line in which self-love turns into full-blown narcissism. Social media has crossed it. For example, it's now normalized to talk about yourself as if you are better than others. TikTok sounds like “I am better than you” from the movie Good Time and “Some people are simply better than others” from Gossip Girl, where people show their best-looking selves with the audios, are trending. We have been promoting the spread of conceitedness as if it's not toxic. Quite literally, narcissism is being normalized.
That being said, thinking you’re hot shit is a great outlook to have. Confidence is linked with lower instances of depression and anxiety. However, a problem arises when you think you’re the hottest shit and better than everyone else. The media doesn’t tell you this, but you can love yourself without putting down others. Narcissism does not make you hot.
It’s easy to get wrapped up in yourself online. Apps like these want people to be self-infatuated, or else they wouldn’t be actively posting on their profiles. Still, remember that there is a real world out there beyond the screen. When people don’t engage enough in their environment and their relationships with others, no interpersonal growth occurs. Thus, they get sucked into themselves. Don’t get trapped in the bubble of self-infatuation that social media pushes us towards.
Strike Out,
Alyssa Nelson
Boca Raton
Ally Nelson is a Content Writer for Strike Magazine Boca. Her passions include studying psychology, drinking margaritas, and creating art and fashion. You can reach her on Instagram @a.l.l.y_n or email nelsonalyssa.h@gmail.com.
