Selfies, self promotion and social media. A common trait in all three? Self-aggrandisment or is it determination? As our perceptions change and our way of promoting ourselves alter is it fair to judge someone for posting a shameless selfie, or for constantly posting paid ads on their feed? Are they merely showing off their good looks or are they making a name for themselves? We are seeing more and more models become famous through Instagram photos rather than their actual modelling work. Have we as a generation squashed the notion of egotism or is it all that we know?
Which came first the chicken or the egg? Is social media ballooning our narcissism or the other way around? I saw a hilarious interaction the other day. I was at a tourist site and a young parent asked her 7 year old to take a picture of her, the mom. I could not help but smile. It was the first time in my life I have seen a child take a picture of a mom. But I want to make sure that as I share this story that I do so without judging the mom. It was just a funny exchange of roles. – Munjeera8 years ago
This sounds like a cool topic! But in my opinion, even if selfies are becoming practical tools for furthering your success, like a shallow form of a resume, they are ultimately serving a goal that is largely Ego-driven-- your own personal success, which in our competitive culture is something that is done at the expense of other people for only your personal gain. – Calnamni8 years ago
I would suggest that egotism is, in some sense, a habit, and that whatever ends we may be engaging in egoistic activities for are largely irrelevant. Perhaps you only post selfies or engage in self-promotion to further your online presence and advance a career, and perhaps you are able to maintain enough detachment from said activities to keep yourself from being overly self-focused. That said, I imagine most would be unable to do so, and the mere habit of focusing on your own image/personal brand leads to increasingly narcissistic tendencies. – Ben Woollard7 years ago