The Problem With My Generation...

So I flicked on the TV today, and they were showing the video of Casey Anthony talking into her web cam, rather incoherently, about herself. You can see it here.

There was a psychologist on, and he was pointing out her narcissism because at no time does she mention her child, or her parents.  Then, the psychologist said that it was a common problem for people from her generation  to suffer from extreme narcissism, especially with their online presence. (She is 25—I’m 28, so I consider myself of the same generation he is referencing.)

And I felt like I should ask: Does this broad over-generalization and criticism of my generation apply to me? Most social interaction, at least for people my age, is online through Facebook, and lesser so in Twitter, Pinterest, Flickr, and blogs.  All these spaces have one thing in common—that the message can be carefully crafted and composed; in many cases, the result is self-promotion. Is our online personas a form of thinly veiled narcissism? When I’m truly honest with myself, I start to see my own narcissistic tendencies—and it scares me.

Take this blog for example! While I write here more as an exercise, and a documentation of my own life that I may one day value, it is public. I enjoy getting comments. I edit myself to be more palatable, chose the best bits of my life to highlight, and downplay (or omit) the less happy ones. I would argue that the ‘me’ you read about here is authentic, if but only a sliver of my true identity.

So, is my generation, accused of chronic narcissism, creating a society that is becoming less altruistic? Sure, we are supposed to love ourselves, but I would argue that this self-promotion is not done out of love of one’s self, but out of deep dependence on the approval of others. But if we are all narcissistic, then can we even expect others to be paying attention?

AND… I think I just fell down the rabbit hole.

As you can see, but the last few posts, I’ve been thinking a lot about how our online presence is shaping our society. And I’ll admit it, I don’t think I could ever bring myself to leave Facebook. I feel like I would completely fall out of so many people’s lives—but then again—that may not be a bad thing. Although, I’m going to make a true effort to be less self-promoting. Post less day-to-day drivel and doesn’t actually matter. Maybe be more entertaining. Or quiet. We’ll see how it shakes out.