Are you thinking about how do narcissists use social media? Then you are at the right place.
You will often find narcissists on social media. There are many reasons for this.
- Display their achievements
- Seek attention
- Promote themselves
- Feel good about themselves
- Crave admiration
The purpose of this article is to discuss how do narcissists use social media and what to do about it. Nowadays, everyone uses social media, but narcissists use it to flaunt their inflated self-image and tarnish others’ image if they have a vendetta against someone, so let’s discuss narcissistic behavior on social media and protection against their influencing your life.
Table of Contents
Introduction to how do narcissists use social media
Social media has the power to either favorably or negatively affect an individual. It helped us connect with other people in the tough times of COVID-19 when everyone was confined to their homes. It helped us share our thoughts and experiences or sometimes even laughter. It is also an area where narcissistic behavior is present, though, It may become a tool to fool and manipulate people. Therefore, one must learn how to spot a narcissist on social media to defend oneself against such toxic personalities.
What is narcissism?
A person with this grandiose sense of self and a lack of empathy for others is said to have this personality disorder. These people are always thinking about their own success, power, and charming persona. Narcissistic people have an unhealthy desire to be seen and admired by others. They are usually very selfish, highly manipulative, and exploitative. They have an inflated sense of self, and this behavior starts becoming problematic for others at work, family, or in relationships. You need certain steps to protect yourself against such people; however, sometimes people may exhibit certain narcissistic traits but do not meet the criteria for diagnosis of narcissistic personality disorder.
Narcissism and how do narcissists use social media
Social media posts provide the perfect medium for narcissistic individuals to display their self-centric behavior and seek attention and admiration from people. Narcissistic individuals may do the following
1. Post selfies or self-promoting content on their social media accounts
2. Use social media to compare oneself to others
3. Excessive exaggeration of their achievements in their self-validation through comments, likes, constant validation, and feedback inflates their ego; this leads to reinforcement of such narcissistic traits that can lead to their dependence on social media to feel good about themselves. ss how to spot a narcissist on social media and what to do about it. Nowadays, everyone uses social media, but narcissists use it to flaunt their inflated self-image and tarnish others’ image if they have a vendetta against someone, so let’s discuss narcissistic behavior on social media and protection against their influencing your life.
How to identify narcissism online?
It is very difficult to identify narcissism online as the person may not display all their narcissistic traits; however, be on alert if you see certain red flags when interacting with someone online.
1. The person is constantly seeking validation from you. It is common for them to try to get your attention on social media by liking, sharing, or commenting on their posts.
2. May always brag about their achievements through their posts, exaggerating their skills and abilities.
3. If a person cannot express sadness or distress and ignores other people’s feelings in their comments, chats, or posts, then they may be a narcissist, so you should be on alert in being friends with such a person.
4. If the person you are interacting with online, is using emotional manipulation to control you, guilt-tripping you, or gaslighting you to get you to comply with their wishes.
5. Is the person getting angry when not getting special treatment from you? If yes, then it is best to set boundaries to protect yourself against them.
Instagram narcissism
Instagram allows people to present their profiles in a carefully organized manner to get followers.
Narcissists may use Instagram to showcase their highly curated version highlighting their accomplishments, skills, abilities, and appearances to get attention and admirers.
Studies have proven the use of Instagram is associated with a higher level of narcissism. Narcissistic people are constantly posting selfies using filters to enhance their features to seek high engagement from their followers. Narcissistic individuals are always comparing themselves to others.
Examples of narcissistic pictures and posts
Remember, not every selfie or photo posted online by someone indicates narcissism; however, there may be some examples that may indicate narcissistic behavior.
1. Photos or selfies highlighting a person’s achievements, such as trophies or awards.
2. They always highlight materialistic things like an individual’s expensive mansion, jewelry, and cars.
3. Photos showcasing living in luxury resorts, private jets, heavily filtered or edited selfies, or faces or bodies to create an idealized version of themselves.
Again it is important to note that boasting photos online like these may not always mean narcissistic behavior. It’s a person’s overall behavior that shows if they are narcissistic or not.
Some signs that may indicate the person online is narcissistic
Narcissists are always surrounded by flying monkeys who enable their narcissistic behavior, and narcissists are always insensitive to the feelings of the people surrounding them. Narcissists are so charming that by the time you will understand who you are with; you are already trapped and enraptured by them. However, if you are on social media, and you have figured them out, you have a good chance to escape them.
1. Narcissists are always well-dressed if a person looks like a superstar or model, even when doing mundane activities like car washing or repairing some equipment then, watch out for such a person.
2. They don’t post pictures with friends or family
If a profile online contains only lots of selfies with no other person in the pictures, it’s a potential red flag.
3. Self-promotion
Their online avatar is always attention-grabbing. Most people have neutral-sounding descriptions about themselves, while narcissists use more aggressive terms like enemy, abhorrence, wrath, and hate.
4. They use more physically or emotionally suggestive images for constantly posting about themselves to see how they are coming across rather than how others are doing. When people don’t pay attention to such posts, narcissists may indulge in risky and traumatic, attention-seeking behaviors.
5. Inability to handle criticism.
These people have fragile egos and can’t handle even constructive criticism. They lash out at other people and may block other people’s
6. Revenge through social media
They may use social media to retaliate against people they perceive as threats to their idealized image.
Conclusion about how do narcissists use social media
Most of us post online; however, don’t worry, not all of us are narcissists. Narcissists’ and normal people’s online posts have only one distinct difference which is of intent normal people use social media to interact, make friends and learn things. In contrast, narcissists use social media to add admiration and validation. Their posts are usually one-sided and always just about them all the time.
If you spot a narcissist online, avoid them and run away from them without indulging them in any conversation.
FAQs on how do narcissists use social media
- How do narcissists see social media?
Narcissists often view social media as a validation tool to show the world how cool and admirable they are.
- Why do a narcissist post so often?
A need to always be relevant and in the spotlight makes a narcissist post too much.
- How can you differentiate between genuine posts and a narcissist’s posts?
Narcissists’ post doesn’t have anyone else in them; they don’t like sharing the limelight, so they don’t post anyone else in their posts.
- Are social media influencers narcissists?
No influencers are not narcissists. Their posts are usually about something new or genuinely spreading awareness about certain topics.
- How can I confront a narcissist about his behavior online?
It would help if you didn’t do that because narcissists won’t like to be told about doing something wrong; they don’t take criticism in the right manner.
- How can I protect my mental health from the narcissists online?
It would help if you considered making genuine offline connections, limiting exposure to social media, and being able to maintain boundaries.
Disclaimer
The content of this article “how do narcissists use social media?” has been developed by third-party medical content writers and/or experts. The information mentioned in the article is only for educational purposes and therefore it is requested to consult a doctor/ physician before diagnosing and deciding the treatment plan.
Healthoplane, its Licensors nor any third-party content providers do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any content. Furthermore, neither Healthoplane nor its Licensors endorse or are responsible for the accuracy and reliability of any opinion, advice, or statement made on this article or any of the Sites or Services. We take no responsibility for your exposure to third-party content on the Sites or the Services. Healthoplane and its Licensors do not assume, and expressly disclaim, any obligation to obtain and include any information other than that provided to it by its third-party sources. It should be understood that we do not advocate the use of any product or procedure described in the Sites or through the Services, nor are we responsible for misuse of a product or procedure due to typographical error.
Consent
By using our website, you hereby consent to our disclaimer and agree to its terms.
Dr Amit Sharma is a Doctor and writer with a particular interest in mental health. He helps individuals by combining practical advice with emotional support.