Monday, October 07, 2013

Period 7 Article of the Week- due Friday 10/11

Times article recently debated whether young people are more narcissistic than previous generations, mentioning Facebook as a possible factor. And a University of Michigan study, published in June, seems to support this theory.
Are social media like Facebook turning us into narcissists?

***Reference a minimum of two of the linked articles.
1.  Read the articles.  Consider the author's tone, structure of the essay, and your personal reaction.
2. Please add an intelligent comment (minimum 3 sentences) in response to the linked articles from the NY Times.  Be sure to reference specifics from the article.
3. Optional: Comment on a classmates post in a second post (minimum 3 sentences)
*Use only your first name, last initial and period of class to identify yourself.
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2013/09/23/facebook-and-narcissism

12 comments:

  1. George H. period 7

    Along time ago we might have thought narcissism did not exist but now that facebook is easy to access, people are more likely to post more of their ideas online then tell people abroad. This concept is that people generally will not say certain things in public but on the internet, you can say them without anyone to interfere. I still believe though that facebook isn't causing narcissism because its not in peoples nature usually to be narcissistic. I like that through a study Bruce Mckinney conducted it showed that frequent facebook use was not actually turning up any causes for narcissism just twitter was turning up as cause. Maybe instead of blaming facebook we should look more into twitter as the main problem. I think Mr. Mckinney was right about facebook being the future of communication in today's ever growing electronic world. We are just bound to evolve by technological advancements and this is one way we will by communicating on the internet more frequently then in person. Keith Hampton also explains how during his own studies more people of a narcissistic manor were more likely not to involve themselves in social media because they don't follow into civics or political ideas rather they self indulge in themselves rather then care about others beliefs. "The highest users of social media also report that they are more likely to be involved in civic and political activities than Americans with similar backgrounds. Narcissists are by definition self-centered and disengaged, and this is not the profile of the typical or even heavy user of social media." In conclusion I don't see facebook as a main gateway for narcissistic behavior or narcissistic people after reading the two articles by Mr. Mckinney and Mr Hampton.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cassie V. period 7

      Good job George, you made some really good points about Facebook, and narcissism. I really agree with you!

      Delete
  2. Cassie V. Period 7

    To start off, people never really though Narcissism existed until further on into this decade. When Facebook first was established, no one really knew about it, and it wasn't as easy to access, now everyone knows about Facebook, and it is the new, ongoing social network. I don't really agree with people in the articles TOTALLY blaming Facebook, but they could also look into the other social networks, such as; Twitter, and Instagram. In one of the articles someone named; Mr. Mckinney said that facebook was the future of further communication. I agree with him on that because he made some really good points about it. In an article that i read it stated, "Narcissists are by definition self-centered and disengages...heavy user of social media." I think that my conclusion and opinion about all of this is that I don't really see Facebook as the main problem for the people in this society behaving narcissisticly, and after i read the 2 articles, i read them by Mr. Hampton, and Mr. Poole, and also i skimmed through Mr. Mckinney's. (He had some really good points throughout his article).

    ReplyDelete
  3. Stephanie.D Period 7

    I think that it is unfair that this generation is being treated like we are the only people that conform to narcissim. All young people have a bit of narcissim in them. We like any other human think of our self first. If someone says they don't think of themselves first they are lying. It is just automatic. This statement in the article explains that narcissism isn't new, "every generation is Generation Me, as every generation of younger people are more narcissistic than their elders.” This isn't a new problem its called growing up. When you are young you are more narsatictic than when you become older and wiser. Also as you get older you have more responsibilities and other people that have to be put first. So I think these articles prove what everyone knows is that social media like facebook is not turning us into narcissists.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Cayla Florio

    Narcissism is defined by "self-centered and disengaged". I think it is unfair to label this generation "Narcissistic" just because of the social media we have unlike the later generations who did not have the ability to access it at the time. In the article, "Young, Wild and Friended", Keith Hampton states, "What social media has changed is our ability to control the presentation of self." I think this is true because when people post a picture..or status update, it doesn't automatically mean we are self-centered and believe that everybody cares what we are doing. There can be other reasons behind that post. I agree wih Hampton's statement because I think that the one thing social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, have caused us to put up a front. We are able to hide who we are on social media. Not everybody can see through a post or picture like you can in person. If you see someone is crying or frowning, you sense something is wrong. If someone posts a facebook status or tweet saying just about anything, there is no way you can see through their exterior. Another article I read was "Don't Hate the Player, Hate the Game." The main point Chris Poole said that really stood out to me was, "For most, this means presenting a more manicured and interesting portrait of ourselves and our lives, which on the surface can appear self-serving and vain." Any this seemed to stand out to me because I couldn't agree with it more. I think that social media allows people to be who they want to be in person. I tend to notice very shy people who are in my classes, talk like a completely different person on facebook or twitter. They seem outgoing and very sociable, but in person they can be so different. This is one of the many changes inflicted on us by social media. I think it's very ignorant to say that we are narcisistic just because we have grown up surrounded by social media. Not everyone is self centered. I think narcisism has always been a problem, social media or no social media.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Ricky Pietruszka

    Social media isn't just used as way for people to seek attention towards themselves but it is a way to express themselves through social media as Jeff Bullas said. Social media is way for people to get out their and show their passion towards what they do through Facebook,YouTube,Twitter, and vevo. Also the feedback that they get for instance through "likes" or comments on Facebook aren't just for attention but other people that share that love and compassion for what you have in common. Also social media teaches us things such as to give and take criticissim and how to learn from the criticism and judgement making us slightly more stronger as a person. But, in conclusion social media isn't only used as a form of narcissism but a way of being creative and expressive.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I read two articles by debaters Joe Holt, an actor; and Chris Poole, a web host. After reading these articles, I have come to the conclusion that while Facebook seems narcissistic and in ways, is narcissistic, there are many things within Facebook that counter balance the views of narcissism. To start, While Facebook users are able to share everything about themselves so other people can see it, the users also have the option to like and comment on things shared by other people. In fact, most of Facebook is looking at the pictures, videos, and status updates ones friends post onto the website. Moreover, every person has the right to share positive and even some negative things about them, while it seems narcissistic; it’s actually good for self-esteem. It is a great feeling when you share something positive and see the reaction of your friends and family. But with that, comes some negatives. Cyber bullying is a major problem in schools today. It could be bad for ones self-esteem if people post negative comments or just simply don’t care what they have to say. In my opinion, I think the people being bullied Facebook should just block the negative people altogether. Lastly, the final negative of the day is the people that share every little thing that happens in their lives. No one online cares that it’s raining outside or there’s a lot of traffic. Those are things every person can go outside and see for themselves. To shorten this all up, basically Facebook isn’t all that narcissistic, but with certain individuals, it can definitely be.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Conor Duffy
    Our generation is being treated to conform to narcissim to the young. Today, the young people are the definition of narcissim. Us having facebook, twitter, and all these other social medias make us a little narcissistic. We are all a little narcissistic. Older generations in my belief, are not as narcissistic than younger people. Social media lets you express what you feel and think. Its another way of living. to like/comment or express what you feel.jeff Bullas said, "Social media is way for people to get out their and show their passion towards what they do through Facebook,YouTube,Twitter, and vevo. Also the feedback that they get for instance through "likes" or comments on Facebook aren't just for attention but other people that share that love and compassion for what you have in common." So this means that you can express what you feel.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Jonathan B period 7

    I believe now that the younger generation is more narcissistic than the older generation. The younger generation have so many social medias that they can brag about themselves. Joe Holt said, " I must admit to having blocked people on Facebook because of their annoying propensity for humblebrags, those overwrought “celebrations of life.” This shows that the older generation are more annoyed that most of the younger generation are posting all about themselves, how their better at certain things, how much better their life is than other people.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Taylor Miller
    Period 7
    I don't think we should put all the blame on Facebook for the narcissism because there are other social networks we can be blaming also. In the text it says, “Narcissism clearly leads to more social media use, social media use leads to positive self-views, and people who need a self-esteem boost turn to social media.”I don’t think that this is all that true because we don’t all turn to social media when we need a self esteem boost or for positive self-views. Everyone is different and we do things for different reasons.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Karisma Patel
    Period 7
    People never really believed that narcissism really existed until our generation, which is a lie because narcissism did exist before. Every young individual has a bit of narcissism in them, because everyone thinks about them self and puts them self first. There is a statement in this article that states, " every generation, is Generation Me,as every generation of younger people are more narcissistic than elders." I agree to this because younger people do always think about them self more than they think about anyone else. This is because they haven't really grown up yet because they don't have to take on big responsibilities. So in this case they are more narcissistic then older people because older people have more responsibilities then younger people. Also older people have the responsibilities of putting other people first and younger people really don't have that responsibility yet, so this is another reason why younger people are more narcissistic than older people. So this statement about Facebook,twitter or any other social media website is false because these websites are not making us become narcissistic.

    ReplyDelete