In a recent article posted on Yahoo! the popular networking site, Facebook was questioned. The writer of the article, Andy Blatchford, touched on why our generation (The Techies) goes on this site and whether it is beneficial to us.
Mr. Blatchford states that through a recent study on 50 males and 50 female facebook users from the ages of 18 to 25, psychologists have found that those who had low self-esteem or were highly narcissistic tended to go on the site more often. Therefore, they believe that Facebook, may indeed boost confidence but may also cause narcissists to become more narcissistic. They also raised the question “is it narcissists that go on Facebook or does Facebook make us more likely to become narcissistic?”. An interesting idea to say the least.
I myself cannot say I completely agree with these findings. I agree that some people use this sight as a strange way to validate their worth; countless times I’ve heard people talk about how many Facebook friends they have and how many comments they get on their posts. The idea that Facebook may in fact be creating narcissists is a scary thought. But it is definitely more likely that narcissists will use Facebook rather than Facebook making narcissists. If a person rationally uses the site, they will not become a narcissist. To change a person is a long process and if a networking site is able to change someone so dramatically than perhaps they were not changed at all. Perhaps they were simply narcissists finding out they were so through this site.
I do agree that this site is addictive. It can make you question yourself for the most trivial of things; why didn’t anybody comment on my pictures? How come this person hasn’t answered my friend request? Superficial, nothing moments are turned into “I am not loved” moments. Facebook is a very influential site; it can make you feel a trivial sense of self worth as well as small sadness.
Of course Facebook isn’t all bad points but our generation definitely doesn’t need to go on it as often as we do. If you want admiration, do something worth admiring. If you want more self-esteem work up your courage and talk to people! And not through a computer screen.
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