Answer by Xu Beixi:
Since Narcissistic personality disorder is a serious mental disorder characterized by various issues [1], I will take it that you mean "more vain", or the milder forms of it.
I think social media more of an amplifier than a creator of vanity- there is by definition far more comprehensive documentation of it. However, it may be that people have becoming more entitled than ever before:
Amazon link: The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement …
And Louis CK's take:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akiVi1sR2rMTo blame social media on it might be mistaken; we're simply living in a world of unprecedented wealth and prosperity and as people grow increasingly accustomed to it, they start to believe what they have is deserved, or even owed to them [2].In short, social media is a showcase for narcissism, but perhaps not a direct creator of it.
[1]
DSM-5 criteria for narcissistic personality disorder include these features:
- Having an exaggerated sense of self-importance
- Expecting to be recognized as superior even without achievements that warrant it
- Exaggerating your achievements and talents
- Being preoccupied with fantasies about success, power, brilliance, beauty or the perfect mate
- Believing that you are superior and can only be understood by or associate with equally special people
- Requiring constant admiration
- Having a sense of entitlement
- Expecting special favors and unquestioning compliance with your expectations
- Taking advantage of others to get what you want
- Having an inability or unwillingness to recognize the needs and feelings of others
- Being envious of others and believing others envy you
- Behaving in an arrogant or haughty manner
Narcissistic personality disorder– Mayoclinic
[2] Psychological Entitlement – The Department of Psychology