We live in a generation where a large majority of youths bask in attention; where a good handful craves to be the centre of attention.
What is it with the need for attention?
How it all begun…
Narcissism was coined after one of the Greek myths. It was said that Narcissus, a handsome young man, rejected Echo; a woman who loved him deeply. The gods decided that, as punishment, he was to fall in love with his own reflection cast upon water. There was no way that Narcissus could consummate the love he had. He later turned into a flower, which bore his name.
Now now, doesn’t this all sound too familiar?
Falling in love with your reflection… That seems pretty mild.
I’ve heard enough utterances from others, like “I love myself”,“I look hot” and “If I could marry myself, I would”, to know that I’m immersed in a pool of people charged with narcissistic behaviour.
Well, I don’t care In the world of narcissism, the world revolves around you, you are the sun.
I’m sure many of us know people who check themselves out in every possible reflective surface they encounter. (Think: Metal spoons, lift mirrors, shiny handphone/laptop surface, glass panes found on walkways/restaurants.)
The only thought floating around in their heads is “Do I look good? Oh god, I'm gorgeous” (proceeds to do a cat growl). Have they stopped once to be aware of their surroundings? No. Because they’re simply too self absorbed to bother.
There is a blatant lack of empathy and consideration towards another; much less about how the other is feeling.
Your presence is… not important. “Oh, you weren’t here? I didn’t notice!”
“I live by my rules, don’t you talk to me that way.”
Why have our society adopted such a self-centred take on life?
Maybe it’s linked to the idolism and ‘superstar’ culture that is so prevalent in the current day society.
“Those with a distinctly narcissistic personality tend to gravitate more towards life in the spotlight – after all, a narcissist’s dream is to be admired by the world.” – Excerpt from Narcissistblog.com
I cannot agree more. The youths of today are greatly influenced by pop acts such as Britney Spears, Paris Hilton and many others known as the Hollywood “It” people. Look at how they’re acting or have acted. While Spears was fighting for the custody of her children back in 2007, there were times where she failed to even turn up for court.
On the same note, “a narcissist’s dream is to be admired by the world”… How many talent contests have sprung up in the last 10 years? Everyone wants to be famous and be noticed. Think again, what can fame do to you and for you?
Do we really want to be known by how many friends we have on our Facebook/Friendster social networking accounts (half of whom we’ve never met in real life before)?
When you need a listening ear, can you confidently say that you can call anyone on your list of Facebook friends (or a good majority of them) and pour your heart out and have them actually listen? Mind you, I’m talking about people who genuinely care for you, as a person.
The current young generation is simply self absorbed and certainly does not fare well in the listening sector.
A: “Oh my, I’m so tired! I only slept four hours last night”.
B: “Please, I only slept for two okay. If I’m not complaining, why are you?”
This is just a short example of how one is totally absorbed in what happens in his/her life. If I had to eliminate all the ‘About Me’ details in B’s little conversation (above), it would be akin to nothing. People should really start listening instead of providing - more information about themselves. Sometimes what people really need is a listening EAR not a "this is why i'm greater than you" session.
That article is precisely why I still refuse to get a social networking profile. I do not need a tag on my back to lead my life. I do not need people to access me or my popularity by the number of friends I have or find out about me through the pictures I post. Thanks but no thanks. Tell me otherwise, that Facebook and Friendster are good ways to find old friends, play games… that’s your point of view. I live by my rules.
(Writer’s note: I’m not saying that only people who own Facebook or Friendster are like that. I know I’m generalising. Bear with me; I’m basing my opinion on a good handful of people whom I’ve come across.)
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