Study suggests link between Facebook and narcissism

Social networking sites like Facebook give sociologists and psychologists a great deal of material for study. Since social networking is all about the behaviour of its users, analysts can look at certain trends and make informed suggestions regarding what that behaviour means on a personal and wider level.
One of the latest studies into how people use Facebook suggests that persistent use is related to narcissism and vanity.

Academics and York University in Canada recently conducted a study into the behaviour of younger users of Facebook, surveying 100 participants aged between 18 and 25 about how they tended to use the popular social networking site. The team then did psychological profiles in order to establish levels of self-importance and attention-seeking in those they questioned.

The results of the experiment suggested that there was positive correlation between the levels of narcissism noted during the psychological tests and the frequency with which each participant checked their Facebook profile page.

Those who were very active on Facebook were found to be more narcissistic, with men apparently showing greater interest in the written content of their pages and women showing greater concern regarding photos. The study also suggested that those with poor self-esteem, a possible trigger for narcissism, monitored their Facebook pages very closely.