Narcissism and Social Media: A Study on the Relation of  Grandiose and Vulnerable Narcissism with Facebook and  LinkedIn

The trait of narcissism had consistently been linked with social platforms’ perceived ubiquity and raising popularity. Narcissism is divided into the grandiose and vulnerable narcissism. Accumulating research has investigated the association between grandiose narcissism with social media usage while vulnerable narcissism remains relatively understudied. Facebook and LinkedIn are two of the most widespread social platforms. Individuals engage into these platforms to create and maintain a personal and professional network and to promote their personal and professional achievements. The present study sought to investigate the association among grandiose and vulnerable narcissism with the emotional connection and social integration into Facebook and LinkedIn. A total sample of 117 Dutch-speaking participants (69.2% females, 30.7% males) with a mean age of 27.21 (SD=13.08) years were assessed online with the Grandiose Narcissistic Scale, the Hypersensitive Narcissistic Scale and the...Show moreThe trait of narcissism had consistently been linked with social platforms’ perceived ubiquity and raising popularity. Narcissism is divided into the grandiose and vulnerable narcissism. Accumulating research has investigated the association between grandiose narcissism with social media usage while vulnerable narcissism remains relatively understudied. Facebook and LinkedIn are two of the most widespread social platforms. Individuals engage into these platforms to create and maintain a personal and professional network and to promote their personal and professional achievements. The present study sought to investigate the association among grandiose and vulnerable narcissism with the emotional connection and social integration into Facebook and LinkedIn. A total sample of 117 Dutch-speaking participants (69.2% females, 30.7% males) with a mean age of 27.21 (SD=13.08) years were assessed online with the Grandiose Narcissistic Scale, the Hypersensitive Narcissistic Scale and the Social Media Use Integration Scale. Multiple regressions revealed that both narcissistic constructs significantly predict the emotional connection on Facebook, F (1, 108) =15.40, p<.001 and LinkedIn, F (1, 70) =10.86, p=.002. Higher grandiose scores were significantly associated with social integration into Facebook, F (1, 108) =9.89, p=.002, while vulnerable narcissism was a non-significant predictor. Social integration into LinkedIn was not significantly associated with narcissistic traits. The current findings suggest that both types of narcissists might feel emotionally connected to Facebook and LinkedIn to gain admiration and attention. Although only individuals with higher grandiose traits integrated Facebook into their social routines. Social integration into LinkedIn might be driven mainly by career purposes and not narcissistic motives.Show less

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Narcissism and Social Media: A Study on the Relation of Grandiose and Vulnerable Narcissism with Facebook and LinkedIn