Google. Facebook. Second Life. YouTube. MySpace.
That is small sample of the vast number of popular Internet resources/sites today. Beyond being immensely popular and being listed as among the most visited websites, what do those services have in common? I couldn’t string together a similarity until after looking through Time Magazine‘s Person of the Year article featured a few months ago. And what did that bring to mind? (Hint – I was able to judge the magazine from its cover)
You. It’s all about you.
Today’s Internet services attract people worldwide by providing services that benefit or raise the self-esteem of the user. Facebook, MySpace, and other mass social-networking sites provide a realm in which a person can customize their own profile, have it hosted, and show it off to friends and acquaintances. Today, you can load photos, integrate blogs, and even organize events through these websites. Second Life, which I explored in a previous article, perhaps epitomizes the mode of self-expression as you get to personalize yourself to no end in a virtual world. Google is no longer linked solely to a revolutionary search engine – it provides personal services that allow you blog, organize your life, and even chat with friends. And with Google’s recently acquired service, YouTube – it doesn’t take a genius to see how YouTube relates to you; it’s all about broadcasting your own personality in a world wide realm.
To put a headline on this movement, Time Magazine‘s coveted Person of the Year honor did not go to a definite person. Lev Grossman wrote in the December 13, 2006 edition of Time Magazine:
"Seriously, who actually sits down after a long day at work and says, I’m not going to watch Lost tonight. I’m going to turn on my computer and make a movie starring my pet iguana? I’m going to mash up 50 Cent’s vocals with Queen’s instrumentals? I’m going to blog about my state of mind or the state of the nation or the steak-frites at the new bistro down the street? Who has that time and that energy and that passion?
The answer is, you do."
That’s all fine – it’s a much different generation today with the rapid and widespread flow of information courtesy of the ultimate medium we, today, take for granted – the World Wide Web. With it, information is streamlined instantly – it’s all a matter of clicking the buttons on the keyboard and mouse.
The effects: "You"-mania
To think that this "You-centric" phenomenon goes without a profound effect on personality would be plainly silly. Because what we do on the Internet today plays such a large role on defining who we are, it goes without saying that what we see and do on the Internet has a direct effect on who we are. In a study covered by the Los Angeles Times, researchers from University of Georgia, San Diego State University, University of South Alabama, and the University of Michigan determined that such services provided by the likes of Facebook and Google are likely promoting a narcissistic generation of people. The research involved over 16,000 college students from all across the continent. Basic questions such as "If I ruled the world, it would be a better place" were asked to generally gauge the level egoism and narcissism of the average college student. The results were decisive – according to the study, around thirty percent more students showed elevated general narcissism than they did in a similar 1982 study.
So what does this mean? In short, when a college student has convenient accessibility to such venues of self-promotion, the world starts to revolve around the individual.
This rise of the personal "ego" is directly affecting the manner in which an individual treats another person. When narcissism builds and the self-perceived importance rises, it undoubtedly leads to a heightened level of arrogance and general mal-treatment of other human beings. Undoubtedly, this leads to social and personal problems caused by a delusional sense that oneself is superior and important. Jean Twenge, the leading researcher from San Diego State University, noted to the LA Times: "I’m concerned we are heading to a society where people are going to treat each other badly, either on the street or in relationships."
My Take
I can’t argue that there are a plethora of services available to anyone (free of charge, might I add) that contribute to a more personalized "you". Leading the charge, MySpace fostered an environment that allows you to have ultimate control over what everyone else sees. Same with Facebook, Google services, and Second Life. While these are the sites widely linked to increased "personalized Internet", I think it goes far beyond that to a more subtle place. This links back to a previous concept that I pointed out in Writing a Digital World. The interactions sustained through the exchange of words on a screen lack the level of authenticity or feeling conveyed when you speak to someone in person. To that end, it becomes much easier to get openly angry or confrontational at a person because you are not hit with it as hard as you are when being reprimanded in person. After a while, you get so used to it that it becomes a part of who you are.
In terms of the these services molding a different personality, of course they will. You build your character when you are young, but what surrounds you day to day, no matter how late it is in life, will be a part of who you are. However, I believe that this applies only to the few who use it as if it’s a part of their daily lives. I believe that these services only affect you to a large degree if you let it become that. It’s not unusual to have an aura of self-confidence and egotism; however, those who overuse the "you" services are those who often cannot keep the over-flowing sense of narcissism in check. To that end, I partially agree with the study conducted.
In a new world full of options, I think it gives an entirely new view of the world to the new generation – often labeled "Generation Y". For every new generation of people, there’s a new set of topics and problems. In all, is this a unique problem? Who knows – that is a question for history to judge.
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