Pic me, pic me
Instagram and today’s narcissists
A STUDY into the link between Instagram and narcissism describes users who post photos as people who want to “exhibit superiority over others”.
The recently published findings from Swinburne University explored two types of narcissists, and found there was a relationship between both them and Instagram, the online picture-sharing platform.
The first type was described as grandiose narcissists, who the study claimed used Instagram to facilitate self-centred tendencies.
But, according to the woman who led the research, postgraduate Diploma of Psychology student Olga Paramboukis, those more strongly linked to Instagram weren’t really egotistical at all.
Described as “vulnerable narcissists,” the study referred to the second type of user as someone with traits of inadequacy, shyness, shame and hypervigilance to insult.
Ms Paramboukis said a need for admiration meant vulnerable narcissists posted photos to seek validation.
“The behaviours I observed on Instagram myself seemed to be coming from a place of self-doubt rather than self-love,” she said. “Some participants said that positive attention for their Instagram behaviours and usage made them feel validated and approved of. It appeared that in some instances, this may have been the overall underlying goal of posting to Instagram.”
But Geelong adolescent psychologist, Catherine Thornton, said there was a big difference between narcissism as a diagnosed mental health condition, and behaviours typical of young people simply “navigating the social jungle”.
“I would say people with narcissistic tendencies would use Instagram as a tool like they would any other tool, and not a case of one causing the other,” she said.
Ms Thornton said, in her profession, the only real harm she had identified with Instagram was overuse, with youths choosing social media over sleep or study.
She said adolescents tended to be “very me focused” which was a part of growing up, and a sense of self confidence wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
“On the other side of all this, having a really strong sense of self worth and one’s ability is not a bad thing if it’s used in the right way,” she said.