Summary
Narcissism is a psychological concept and, in some cases, a disorder characterized by an unhealthy interest or admiration of oneself. Narcissism occurs on a spectrum, and in the modern day of self-focus and individualization, many people experience some forms of the concept. This paper will explore various media sources and examine them from the perspective of narcissism.
The social media website Twitter has always been about oneself. Many people take pride in the fact that their blogs have amassed many followers, as this indicates their personal success. Some people decidedly use ridiculous usernames to draw attention to their blogs, engage in every discussion they see to become visible, or even post questionable or aggravating opinions on actual events.
The source of communication on Twitter is highly dispersed due to the fact that the format of blogs with short posts attracts many different individuals. Still, the majority of Twitter’s audience is composed of middle-aged people – 38,5% of users are in diapason from 25 to 34 years old (Statista 2021). Moreover, there are more males than females on Twitter: 66% versus 34% (Lin 2021). It can be concluded that on Twitter, every user is both the source and the target of communication. It is also worth noting that, due to the fact that many people share their personal emotions and experiences on Twitter, the audience here tends to be more empathetic than on other social media.
Instagram could be considered the epitome of narcissism, as the main purpose of this social media is to attract attention to oneself, amassing a loyal and adoring audience. The audience of Instagram is mostly young people – 71% of users are under 35 years old (Mohsin 2021b). They constitute both the main source and the target of communication on Instagram.
Despite its narcissistic tendencies – showing their photos, cosplays, creating blogs – Instagram is also widely used for charity purposes. People often support their favorite influences, gather money for non-commercial organizations, or send donations.
Facebook is another social media site that is often associated with self-centeredness. Truly, the format of individual pages where the user can disclose their personal information, share their study and work achievements, and generally post their own opinions can be considered a bit narcissistic. The audience of Facebook is quite dispersed, as this social media remains the worldwide leader in the industry. The main source of communication here are the brands and their ambassadors – about 200 million small businesses are using Facebook for marketing their products (Mohsin 2021a). The audience consists primarily of young people, as 65% of Facebook users are under the age of 35 (Mohsin 2021a). Facebook is also a popular charity platform–many groups gather donations for social causes, such as homeless animals, sick children, environmental initiatives, and many others.
Movies
Lately, the movie industry has shifted towards individuality – movies about one hero’s journeys and hardships are becoming increasingly popular. Biopics, solo superhero movies, and just one-character-centric stories constitute a big part of the movie industry. Even films with groups of characters usually concentrate on one main hero whose story dominates the narrative.
The source of communication there is heavily dispersed, as there are many different studies, directors, and actors. In 2020, 47,8% of leading actors were females, while men took leading roles in 52,2% of cases (Navarro 2021a). Among directors, the gender gap is much wider – 2029 showed there were 78,9% of male directors (Navarro 2021b). The target audience has less diversification in gender – as of 2020, in USA and Canada, the audience was split roughly equally (Navarro 2021c). It is hard to determine whether there are definite signs of compassion and empathy in such a huge industry, but there is, indeed, an increase in the number of movies on socially important themes.
Television
Television is another industry that one can consider narcissistic in its nature. Shows starring one host, such as Ellen, Oprah, and Jimmy Kimmel, are becoming increasingly more popular. The host of these shows become influencers and role models. Moreover, celebrities often visit those shows to disclose their personal lives and gain more recognition. It is hard to determine concrete numbers in the case of the TV industry. The main source of communication here are news and every day or daily shows, and the demographics in them varies wildly. The target audience is also very diverse: there are shows for every age and gender group, which makes it impossible to establish concrete numbers for the whole industry. Women generally tend to watch TV more, using it to access their favorite shows and series and get news. Moreover, young people prefer other media resources to TV, thus, the audience of it is constituted mainly of older people. Also, compassion and empathy are not the concepts one can see on TV a lot, as this industry leans more towards entertainment than anything else.
Podcasts
Podcasts began to gain popularity in 2019 as the world was caught in lockdowns and self-isolation. One cannot say that this industry supports narcissism in people too much, however, the format of podcasts is rather self-centered. People often create podcasts to share their opinions and experience, and demonstrate their professionalism and expertise. Usually, podcasts are created by young and middle-aged people – while podcasters in the age category of 20 to 25 years old mostly create entertainment podcasts, people over 30 tend to share their expertise.
The target audience of podcasts is split in the 56% to 44% ratio between men and women respectfully (Podcast Insights 2021). Moreover, about 48% percent of podcast listeners are young people aged from 12 to 34 years old (Podcast Insights 2021). In terms of compassion and empathy, podcasts can hardly compete with other social media – with the format of spoken blogs, there are limited possibilities to engage in charity, for example.
YouTube
YouTube is the most popular video hosting in the world, and it continues to grow further every year. Many people start video blogs on YouTube, showcasing their skills in music, cooking, crafting, dancing, cosplaying, and others. The ultimate goal of every blog is to achieve popularity and recognition for its skills. The source of communication here is the creators who make blogs and produce content. The group is highly diverse – men and women of all age groups create various channels. So is the target audience – 77% percent of YouTube users are people in the age of 26 to 35 years (Hootsuite 2021). Compassion and empathy are often seen on YouTube – there are many videos about saving animals, helping others, and social advertising.
TikTok
TikTok is another social media site that can be considered very narcissistic. Its purpose is similar to YouTube and Instagram, although the videos here are short and usually contain various effects and text. Popular TikTok bloggers amass large audiences around themselves, creating a community that supports them, often even financially. The main source of communication here is the aforementioned creators. Mostly, they are from the Generation Z age group – from about 14 to 20 years old (Wallaroo 2021). The target audience is also quite young – 32,5% of US users are from 10 to 19 years old (Wallaroo 2021). Compassion and empathy are also more present on TikTok – there is a lot of self-help advice, animal videos, supportive messages, and psychological content.
References
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