Posted on 09/09/2010 8:04:11 AM PDT by Blue Turtle
Using Facebook is the online equivalent of staring at yourself in the mirror, according to a study. Those who spent more time updating their profile on the social networking site were more likely to be narcissists, said researchers. Facebook provides an ideal setting for narcissists to monitor their appearance and how many friends they have, the study said, as it allows them to thrive on shallow relationships while avoiding genuine warmth and empathy.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
>>Facebook users ‘are insecure, narcissistic and have low self-esteem’<<
I have said so from the beginning — and Twitter users 10X!
Anyone and everyone I want or need to speak to I do in person or here at FR (most of you make the cut LOL) and a small handful of other sites.
Nothing like wiping out the broad brush.
I would think that narcissism and low self esteem were mutually exclusuive!
...I wonder how Bark Obama’s Facebook page is then.
;)
I really thought it had to do with keeping track of family and old friends... plus getting a kick out of how their babies are growing.
But now I know.. I’m an A-hole
>Nothing like wiping out the broad brush.
Sometimes the results are both informative & amusing:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2585223/posts
Yes, some people are self-obsessed and think you actually want to know what they had for dinner or what their thoughts of the day are. And in my opinion those people are very lonely in their lives.
A lot of us use it to find old friends and stay connected to them. What's wrong with that?
I don’t know about the narcissism charge, but they do seem to have a lot of time on their hands.
Also I think a lot of it is called “log rolling”.
But yes, it’s very narcissistic.
But then everyone is “special” now. Please don’t hurt their “self-esteem”.
LOL, fits exactly the profile of folks I know that use facebook.
This observation is correct in mnay cases. Facebook etc. has facilitated and fed a pro-voyeuristic culture, one in which people put themselves out there for voyeurs and one in which voyeurs spend their time cruising into strangers’ private lives.
It’s creepy and gross.
I know one person who actually seems to exist to himself only on Facebook. He has so merged with the “life” he has created there, that is really all there is. It didn’t help that he started out with some serious mental and emotional disturbances anyway. But I don’t doubt too much Facebook can be detrimental even to those who are psychologically and emotionally intact.
Also, like the internet in general, but even more so, Facebook etc. “allows” people in their online identity mode to stalk and be meaner to others than they would ever do in person. And there is little defense for the poor person singled out to be harassed and defamed on Facebook. Not only that, no amount of physical distance can help a person get away from a person who uses Facebook to disrupt or sabotage lives.
Nothing is wrong with that.
But the fact remains that for many, especially kids, posting and blogging on social networks becomes a cycle of self-absorption and self-aggrandizement. I think it’s quite possible Facebook over-usage can take the average kid with normal problems and become a form of “self-medication” that is just as bad for them as self-medicating with drugs or alcohol.
But, again, like alcohol, it’s all in the appropriate use.
There’s a huge community of conservatives on Twitter who use it only for political comment and sharing news links. Once you get into that stream, you rarely see any personal “what I’m doing now” tweets.
It’s been a great way to get info and breaking news out, as well as to give a story that deserves it “legs.”
Facebook is a nice way for my family (Washington state to Florida) to stay in touch and enjoy casual chats.
It allows real time updates which can be cool when someone can post an interesting picture from their cell phone.
It doesn’t have to be all about collecting ‘friends’ and self adulation.
The point is that Facebook can be valuable for conservatives...it is the 21st century and FB can be used to get information out to people who would otherwise only get their information from the dinosaur media. Just today I posted about the Koran burning controversy on FB- a conservative view of the situation that many people otherwise would not see...
So before you condemn something, or use a broad brush as one poster put it, think about how it could be used to our advantage.
It’s a great way to keep up with friends and family.
Also provides a huge FBI database.
I have found FB a very good way to connect with relatives scattered around the country and to locate/ reconnect with old friends and colleagues from my youth, college days and jobs from years back.
I guess that makes me insecure, narcissistic and someone with low self-esteem.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.