Narcissism & Social Media

So this blog stems from a conversation I had with a good friend recently about how the internet, social media in particular, has created a world of narcissists with the belief that the world owes them never ending attention and affection.

I believe it is something that has been rapidly building up over years through the constant obsession with social media such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc and users spamming news feeds with selfies with tag lines such as "Omg, I am so ugly". You know the types. The ones who know they aren't bad looking and are simply fishing for compliments for their daily dose of self gratification to make themselves feel good about their lives and have everyone focusing on them. Because they need to be the centre of attention. Everyone needs to know they exist. It's a desperate cry for attention, also through everyone trying to find that new internet craze that goes viral and gives their social media platform, whether it be Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, thousands of more followers so they can feel somewhat 'famous' thus providing a feeling of self importance. If this is the sort of thing that, particularly teenagers, need to do to validate their lives then it's not only sad but something that is setting them up for one very tough life.

The media, and those who are supposedly "role models" (read celebrities such as musicians, actors, actresses, etc), are having a large negative impact by following this moronic trend of posting ridiculous selfies and acting in such ways that everything needs to be about them. Talk about setting the standard for a younger audience.

Not only has the internet played a big part in this but also reality television. The idea of watching people deliberately act like complete degenerates on live television to simply entertain those vacuous drones through the idiot box so they go to work the next day and spend the whole morning talking about them has no doubt driven the increase in narcissistic traits developed in young people. And I say young people because they tend to be the most impressionable. They see something and replicate it in their own lives, maybe sometimes not even realising and from there it builds like a virus flowing through their bloodstream.

And that's exactly what narcissism is, a virus. We have entered an age where relationships will be a thing of the past because couples will break up over not getting enough attention that their small minds desire. This could have ever lasting mental issues embedded with them unable to determine what has caused this relationship breakdown and constantly placing the blame elsewhere instead of looking at the real problem; themselves.

Not only this but it has destroyed the very thing that I believe made us human; empathy. No one cares about anyone else anymore, no one is willing to go out of their way to help someone in need because this world is not about them and people have no consideration for things that can have dramatic negative impacts on the lives of many as long as it doesn't affect them. This is particularly shown with new political policies introduced where people are more than happy to turn a blind eye to the monstrosities these power hungry sociopaths are willing to inflict providing their lives are not hindered.

Society, and the world as a whole, is sliding down a massive decline into a dark depth that the very invention, that was supposed to benefit the human race, has created; technology.

I realise the irony of saying that when I am typing this through the use of many technological devices and posting it on an online social platform, something slandered throughout this blog, but sometimes irony is necessary and this is that instance. I hope many people worldwide read this and some sort of change is done. But considering the younger generation of 2014, maybe we have very little hope.

I will leave you with this short clip that portrays these words before you in a visual format quite perfectly.