5 Ways To Spot A Narcissist On Social Media

        

5 Ways To Spot A Narcissist On Social Media

The internet is a good cave in which narcissists hide. Internet allows them to show their "perfect self," which attracts the attention of others.
As they need outside resources to maintain their inflated ego.

In 1987 psychologists Marcus and Paula Nurius claimed that a person has two souls: the "present self" and the "potential self." The Internet allows anyone to become his "potential self," or at least to present a version closer to him

When it comes to studies of narcissism on the Internet, and there have been many, social media dominates the discussion. One study conducted in 2010 indicated that the emergence of a potential self "is more evident in worlds of anonymous Internet, where accountability decreases and the" real "self can come out of hiding." 

But anonymous social networks such as Facebook, which this study was analyzing, “provide an ideal environment for the expression of the“ aspired self, ”a subset of the potential self. This case emphasizes the realistic, socially desirable identities that an individual would like to establish under the right conditions. 

Some studies indicate that levels of subclinical narcissism - or a narcissistic personality trait that all ordinary individuals possess to some degree - have increased worldwide since the 1970s. Self-esteem is rising rapidly as well - and according to data published in the Journal of General Psychology, 80% of American students scored higher on self-esteem in 2006 compared to the generation from 1988. Scientists have also found that today's youth are more likely than others. Elderly people for narcissistic personality disorder,

Could this sudden epidemic be explained by the emergence of social media?

As it turns out, narcissism is not a stable personality trait, but rather a manifestation that depends to a large extent on the influence of the surrounding environment. For example, the media can influence whether we act as narcissists.

So, what turns social networks into incubators for self-centered individuals?

The reason lies in their nature. As psychologist Eric B. WISER - Social networks may create or reinforce narcissistic tendencies because they primarily function as self-promotion platforms.

However, the opposite may also be true - more narcissists will be active on social media because these platforms allow them to engage in exhibition behaviors and seek attention and self-promotion.

Let's also keep in mind that people with narcissistic personalities need the admiration of others. Their great self-opinions thrive on social media that is easy to get inboxes of likes, shares, or new followers.

Moreover, narcissists prefer superficial connections with others, because they are really bad at listening and expressing empathy - this again makes social networks a very tempting environment for them

How do you spot a narcissist online?

Even though we all have become narcissistic on social media, Some people, however, remain louder than others in expressing themselves.

So how do you choose narcissism behaviors that go beyond normal levels?

1. Post attractive photos

The first thing you should pay attention to are their photos. Narcissistic people care a lot about pictures. For example, they are more likely to dress in expensive and flashy clothes on pictures, and their overall appearance reveals a lot of exaggeration.

As part of this process, researchers have identified 16 visual cues that reveal whether the person in the picture is a narcissist.
And all of these signs were related to the narcissist's desire to be the center of attention

As a general rule, people with higher scores for narcissistic traits are more motivated to choose Facebook profile pictures that confirm their attractiveness.

2. They use “I “, "me" or "mine" a lot

Researchers from the University of Georgia conducted a rhetoric analysis of individual Facebook pages based on the fact that narcissists tend to talk more about themselves and use more personal pronouns. However, when personal pronouns are not present at the beginning of texts, narcissistic authors have used other verbal techniques to draw attention to their content - they used more vulgar, anti-social terms.

A linguistic analysis of 1,000 Twitter accounts yielded similar results - finding that people with higher levels of narcissism use more words about anger and negative emotions and fewer words about social interaction.

Interestingly, several studies have also found a relationship between narcissism and cyberbullying, as people with a confirmed narcissistic trait often attempt to gain attention using bad language or a direct verbal attack

3. More Selfies

A common feature of narcissists' presence on social media is the abundance of selfies.

The results of a survey conducted on 1,200 US residents revealed that there are two characteristics of narcissism that are mainly associated with the frequency of posting selfies on social media, namely the type of "leadership / power".

As the behavior of individuals who seek power and power over others, and the search for "arousal / greatness", reflects self-indulgence, vanity and the search for interest.

Not only are narcissists more likely to produce selfies, the act of taking selfies on their own also makes them more narcissistic people

Another research paper has urged the relationship between narcissism and different types of selfie posting behaviors such as - posting one-on-one selfies, group selfies, and editing selfies. The results indicate that narcissists publish more individual selfies and modify their selfies more than others.

The study also reports that narcissists are posting more travel photos on Facebook. Certainly this does not mean that they contribute more to social communication. Instead, travel photos are a form of self-promotion content, and as such they are posted with the aim of attracting attention and enhancing our social standing.

4. Fewer likes and comments from friends.

Surprisingly, Facebook friends may not be affected by narcissistic status updates.
One study found that Facebook friends may "punish" narcissists by ignoring their posts!

Given that the narcissist is centered around himself and not socially interacting with his friends or participating in the interaction around their posts

For example, narcissistic women tend to wear makeup and wear exposed clothes more than other women.
Male narcissists are more likely to wear clothing that enhances their social standing, and sunglasses are less likely to be present in the photos.

5.The most narcissistic platform.

There are more narcissistic users on Twitter than Facebook, according to a study from 2013. Sean Bergman and colleagues analyzed the posting behaviors and motivations for social media use of 500 students and found that college students who scored higher on the narcissistic personality repertoire preferred. Twitter.

This can be explained by the fact that the Twitter platform encourages frequent posting of updates and a buildup of shallow, non-reciprocal relationships (followers), which narcissists are likely to desire.

However, the researchers acknowledge that the nature of the two platforms is different between Twitter and Facebook, and that Facebook also provides an opportunity for self-promotion with features intended to beautify the personal Facebook page - for example, changing the profile picture, filling in the "about" section, adding one's interests, etc. 

Study results also show that Facebook is the preferred choice for adults with narcissistic tendencies, while Twitter remains the preferred platform for young narcissists.

And the fastest growing video platforms like Instagram or Snapchat couldn't be overlooked. Instagram, for example, has been found to appeal to a younger, narcissistic audience.

The main motivation for narcissistic Instagram users has been to appear "cool" in the eyes of their followers

Sources:
socialmediatoday.com/how-spot-narcissist-social-media
theatlantic.com/health/how-to-spot-a-narcissist-online