Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat -- some of the most popular forms of social media. If you cannot be contacted on at least one of those, if not all, it is like you aren’t even part of this generation. People aged from 14 all the way up to age 30 can be seen addicted to their phones and computers on these websites and apps. A common question that is always asked when discussing millennials excessive social media usage is why.
The dawn of social media as we know it has to be credited to MySpace which started in 2003. From 2005 to 2008 it was the largest social networking website. Myspace did end up dying out and was replaced in people's hearts by Facebook. Though Facebook was launched in 2004, it did not gain popularity until 2007. It continued to gain popularity in the years following and still is used by many. These two websites sparked people’s crave to share their lives with the internet. Other platforms such as Twitter (launched in 2006), Instagram (launched in 2010), and Snapchat (launched in 2011) helped that craving develop while also normalizing it. People, mostly millennials, began to share intimate details of their day to day lives to large amounts of “friends” and “followers.”
Many outsiders look at the use of social media among this generation and quickly jump to the conclusion of narcissism. And quite frankly, that is not entirely wrong. Though humans have always had an urge to share their thoughts, feelings, and stories, in the past it was typically only done with those close to them. Now, with social media, it allows people to broadcast everything on their mind to basically any amount of people they wish. And even if they are not online friends with certain people, there are still ways that their social media content can be seen by anyone in the world. This does not even bother most young people. They want their pictures and posts to be seen and liked by as many people as possible. Does this make us narcissistic? It’s debatable, but there isn’t really a firm “no” anywhere in sight.
Of course, beyond the question of narcissism there is a conversation to be had about why there is such an obsession with sharing online. When people post online they are, at some level, looking for validation from their peers. This can come in the form of a like, a retweet, or a comment. When they receive those their self-esteem levels will elevate. However, if they do not receive that validation, there can a be reverse effect. Social media also offers young people a platform where they can share their opinion, informed or not. This creates a sense of importance, because, in the past, young people’s opinions were often ignored. It also allows further validation because when one shares their opinion on the internet someone else out there is bound agree with it.
Though the addiction (for lack of a better word) to social media is not necessarily the best trait of this generation, it does show how humans and technology are moving forward together. Social media allows people from across the country and across the world to connect in a way that was not possible for previous generations. If these advancements and our utilization of them means millennials getting a label of narcissistic, I am pretty sure we can all live with that.
