New Narcissism

An introduction to the subject “New Narcissism”.
Narcissism is a psychoanalytical concept that was originally introduced by Sigmund Freud. In text 1 “Me, Me, Me” written by Sarfraz Manzoor, he debates the issue of the new-found phenomenon “New Narcissism” and how it is an important factor in the global community. But what is the definition of “new narcissism?”

In text 1 Manzoor delineates “new narcissism” as being enraptured by your own traits. He advances the view that an increasing number of youngsters and people of middle age have become more centred on portraying themselves as superior people on social media, consequently becoming more grandiloquent, as seen here: “(…) those auditioning were classic narcissists: convinced that they deserve success despite their transparent lack of talent”.

Manzoor professes that the Internet is easily accessible for people to write blogs and keep others posted on their lives and themselves so as to gain renown on social media.
Manzoor also says: “(…) the words of a wise man count for no more than the muttering of a fool”, here he enunciates that anyone is allowed to voice his/her opinion without being subordinated, hence leading people to become self-serving, because they have the freedom to “boast” about themselves and their attributes, which he states here: “There is no one to tell you to shut up, so you can just keep talking about yourself”.

To summarise, “New Narcissism” is a modern concept that is used when people idolise themselves, and when they pursue gratification from tremendous self-love and haughtiness that is displayed on social media – which is the embodiment of “New Narcissism”. Feelings and identities are deemphasised, while appearance and vanity are enthroned in order to obtain fortune and fame.

Compare the views on narcissism presented in texts 2 and 3, and comment on how those views are substantiated.
We are now to compare the views on narcissism in text 2 “Student narcissism on the rise”, which is an article composed by Janice McDuffee, and in text 3, which is a press release “Do Today’s Young People Really Think They Are So Extraordinary?” stated by former president of USA, Jimmy Carter, and written by Catherine West. Both texts convey views on narcissism amongst high school students.

In text 2, McDuffee says: “This is a time of soaring expectations and crushing realities ”, which means that the incremental number of students overestimate their aptitudes in order to become “fruitful”, and therefore they’re most likely to hit rock bottom. The reason being is that students are ignorant of their frailties, such as societal issues, and instead they’re engrossed by their depictions. Owing to this fact “Generation Me” is “ (…) unapologetically focused on the individual (…)”.
They endeavour to achieve their targets by being condescending on social media, which is their platform. As a result of this they form internet-based parallel societies, where they appear as enhanced/enriched and resolute versions of their true selves – and there’s no one to gauge them. Due to this fact students become “self-effacing” in reality .

Contrary to text 1, former president Jimmy Carter’s stance on the matter is that the youth of America isn’t in fact becoming more attention-demanding and remorseless: “I don’t detect that this generation is any more committed to personal gain to exclusion of benevolent causes than others have been in the past”.
He underpins his stances by using psychological studies, which have been conducted by several experts, such as comparing the number of narcissists in different time spans. Whereas in text 2, McDuffee only buttresses her arguments with the studies of one author/professor Jean Twenge, thus making the article less reliable.

In text 3, Catherine West concludes: “(…) that the youth of America have won a reprieve from being scolded as more aloof and self-involved than previous generations”. As seen here, both West and Carter infer, based on their studies, that there’s no reason to reproach “Generation Me” for being self-destructive and having an undue admiration for themselves.

All in all, it’s evident that the two texts are the converse of each other. Janice McDuffee has a negative outlook on the evolvement of America’s youth. She believes that “Generation Me” is a victim of their own expectations, which is due to their upbringing and freedom of action on the Internet. However both Jimmy Carter and Catherine West postulate that “new narcissism” hasn’t increased amongst the youth. These views are based on similar studies, but in text 3, West supports her standpoints with multiple sources, whilst McDuffee only substantiates her views by using one source. Therefore ethos has been used in both texts, yet text 3 is more credible.

Do social networks like Facebook and MySpace have any harmful effects, and are they useful tools of communication?
Social media has gained a precipitous growth all over the world, thus being a contributory factor in the change of our mentality. But it has its drawbacks, which can be major “game changers” in the way we perceive/lead our (daily) lives, which are to be discussed.

Social networks, such as Facebook and MySpace have become a vital and inexorable facet of our lives. Such sites have a positive impact on young people, because the sites allow them to interact and keep up with relatives, friends and international news. They also provide a platform, by which, young people – who might be struggling with identity issues – can create or join conspicuous pages and groups. By making the acquaintance of members of different groups, youngsters will form the bases of their personal morality and identity. This also enables them to build “competent” connections and opportunities that will profit their futures.

But on the debit side, the youth isolate themselves from reality, as they become more and more engrossed with changing others’ perceptions of them on social networks. Instead of using these sites as a way to pass time, they’re determined to “exhibit” themselves as artificial versions of their authentic selves. Therefore being genuine in reality doesn’t matter, because social networks have become reality.

In brief, the use of social networks portrays both negative/positive effects on today’s youth. It permits them to be well-connected with others and to comprehend other people’s worldviews. Or it will narrow youngster’s priorities, and “disturb” the way they forge their lives. Therefore it’s up to the person him-/herself to define whether the use of social networks is an advantage/disadvantage, as it comes down to how they embrace the changes that social networks have brought about.