Millennials, narcissism, and social networking: What narcissists do on social networking sites and why Shawn M. Bergman a,⇑ , Matthew E. Fearrington a , Shaun W. Davenport b , Jacqueline Z. Bergman c a Appalachian State University, Department of Psychology, 222 Joyce Lawrence Lane, ASU Box 32109, Boone, NC 28608-2109, United States b High Point University, Phillips School of Business, United States c Appalachian State University, Department of Management, United States article info Article history: Received 30 August 2010 Received in revised form 10 December 2010 Accepted 15 December 2010 Available online 13 January 2011 Keywords: Narcissism Millennial generation Social networking abstract The rise in levels of narcissism among Millennials together with the increased usage of social networking sites (SNSs) raises the question of whether there is a connection between the two. The current study examined the link between narcissism and both SNS activities and motivation for SNSs activities. Results indicated that narcissism did not relate to the amount of time spent on SNS, frequency of status updates, posting picture of others, or checking up on SNS friends. However, narcissism predicted reasons why Mill- ennials use SNSs, such as having as many SNS friends as possible, wanting their SNS friends to know what they were doing, believing their SNS friends were interested in what they are doing, and having their SNS profiles project a positive image. Findings suggest that Millennials’ general usage of SNSs is a sign of the times. While narcissists in the Millennial generation do not appear to use SNSs more often than non-nar- cissists, their reasons for doing so are different. Ó 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Recent research supports the often-made assertion that the Mil- lennial generation, those in college from the early 2000s to late 2010s, are more narcissistic than previous generations (Twenge, Konrath, Foster, Campbell, & Bushman, 2008a, 2008b). This in- crease in narcissism has occurred alongside the increased usage of social networking sites (SNSs) such as MySpace and Facebook, which have now amassed over 100 million users among them (Kwon & Wen, 2010). SNSs appear to be particularly popular among Millennials, with over 90% of college students having Face- book profiles (Ellison, Steinfield, & Lampe, 2007). The concern is that SNSs may reinforce, or even create, narcissistic tendencies be- cause they offer a convenient outlet to display vanity, self-pro- mote, and accumulate large numbers of superficial friendships (Buffardi & Campbell, 2008), all of which are characteristics of nar- cissism (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). The rise in levels of narcissism among Millennials in combina- tion with the increase in the usage of SNSs raises the question of whether there is a connection between narcissism and SNS usage. As such, the current study sought to determine if the SNS activities of Millennials are related to narcissism. We also went beyond SNS behaviors and examined self-reported reasons why Millennials en- gage in certain SNS activities, what they hope to accomplish through these activities, and if these self-reported motives are re- lated to narcissism. 1.1. Narcissism Subclinical narcissism is a personality trait that normal, healthy individuals possess to varying degrees, and numerous studies dem- onstrate the validity of narcissism as a normal personality trait (e.g., Emmons, 1987; Rhodewalt & Morf, 1995; Watson, Grisham, Trotter, & Biderman, 1984). Subclinical narcissism appears quite similar to its clinical counterpart, but exists to a lesser degree. Thus, like clinical narcissists, subclinical narcissists (referred to as ‘‘narcissists’’ from this point) hold an inflated view of themselves, believe they are special and unique, and expect special treatment from others while believing they owe little or nothing in return (American Psychiatric Association, 2000; Millon, 1996). Narcissists lack empathy and have few, if any, close relationships, yet they strongly desire social contact, as others serve as their primary source of admiration and attention. Because narcissists are unable to regulate their own self-esteem, they must rely on external sources for affirmation (Campbell, Rudich, & Sedikides, 2002; Morf & Rhodewalt, 2001). Thus, narcissists engage in a variety of strate- gies aimed to maintain their inflated egos, such as exhibitionism and attention-seeking behavior (Buss & Chiodo, 1991), and domi- nance and competitiveness in social situations (Emmons, 1984; Ra- skin & Terry, 1988). 0191-8869/$ - see front matter Ó 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2010.12.022 ⇑ Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 828 262 7087; fax: +1 828 262 2974. E-mail address: bergmans@appstate.edu (S.M. Bergman). Personality and Individual Differences 50 (2011) 706–711 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Personality and Individual Differences journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/paid