The Struggle of Being in the "Me Me Me Generation"

I intend to write my research paper on the topic of vanity, specifically vanity in our generation. I want to pursue this topic further because of its personal ties to me and my generation. Until recently, I was not fully aware of the bad connotation millenials have. Apparently, we are so full of ourselves that our generation has been dubbed the "me generation." Especially after our discussion in class on vanity and narcissism, I realized I had a new-found interest in the concept and why it is so prevalent in this generation.   

According to the Times article, "Millenials: The Me Me Me Generation,"millenials are interacting all day but almost entirely through a screen.” It is pathetic that interactions between teenagers and young adults are mostly through social media. With twitter, facebook, instagram, texting, etc., the youngsters of today have no reason to meet up with people in person, let alone go outside the confinements of their bedroom. It has gotten so unhealthy to the point that “seventy percent of them check their phones every hour, and many experience phantom pocket-vibration syndrome. 


Yearning for a “like” or “follow” is equivalent to yearning for a hit of dopamine because the responses over social media express a sense of being liked or loved by others, and that is truly what everyone feeds off of.  

It concerns me that my generation is so pathetic that many of us live our lives behind a screen. This is deteriorating to our health, ( by living a sedentary lifestyle) and harming us in the long run. Psychological studies show that technology increases aggression, decreases empathy, and does many more negative things to a person’s personality.

Is it really appropriate for us to only blame technology though? How about the parents and teachers that gave every child a participation trophy? Although these adults meant, well, they are harming children by inflating their overconfidence and the idea that they are already perfect.

Technology, parents, the list goes on! But what’s more important than the cause of the plague that is narcissism, is how we should cure people from it.

Questions I would like feedback on:

• What qualities and characteristics do so-called narcissistic people have?
• In what way is social media responsible for this inflation in vanity?
• Are there any positive outcomes to the causes of narcissism (such as technology)  and narcissism itself?
• Are there any specific sources I should use that strongly exemplify my research?

Last but not least: