Narcissism, selfies, steroids, social media...

02-06-2016 09:55AM #1

...have seen a few friends of friends on social media recently who went working out and lo and behold, within months they are advertising their services as fitness and nutrition experts and entering body building competitions...even though they are so obviously taking steroids that it's laughable.

It strikes me that this might be from the same thought process that sees girls stare at themselves in front of mirrors and change their profile pic constantly, not to record any achievement or show anything that might be of some interest (ie. at a concert, on holidays, at a function...anything) but simply to gain likes about their looks.

And now we will have a festival of sport where much of the time will be taken up by players trying to use any opportunity to take off their shirt and show their tattoos and abs, and cameras panning to pretty girls in the crowd.

We are truly in an inane, vacuous, look at me even though I haven't actually anything to show except a pose era. Is this the future that will become more acute as social media takes over...or a passing fad?

Wibbs · 02-06-2016 09:57AM

20th century was seen as the Century of the Self, the 21st it seems may be seen as the Century of the Self involved. Social media weaponises attention seeking by its very nature.

Zombienosh · 02-06-2016 10:03AM

Just step away from it, I've deleted Facebook and life is better.

qo2cj1dsne8y4k · 02-06-2016 10:06AM

What's wrong with being narcissistic though

Your Face · 02-06-2016 10:08AM

A lot of out of shape sweat hogs share similar opinions.

Duggy747 · 02-06-2016 10:13AM

Or when they join Multi-level marketing schemes and try to flog their horseshít products onto everyone, changing their profile, pictures, and how they talk to resemble something like a spambot.

"Hey everyone, just woke up this morning feeling on top of the world thanks to this holistic, gluten-free, aloe vera, ancient Chinese green tea kale spirulina wheat-grass detox smoothie! Time to take on the world today! You can feel like this too by messaging me for more information and get in on this great opportunity!"

kunst nugget · 02-06-2016 10:20AM

Wibbs wrote: »

20th century was seen as the Century of the Self, the 21st it seems may be seen as the Century of the Self involved. Social media weaponises attention seeking by its very nature.

Would it not be the Century of the Selfie?

Mr. Incognito · 02-06-2016 10:22AM

You should take a selfie with some Lemons.

kneemos · 02-06-2016 10:24AM

LexieOnRale wrote: »

What's wrong with being narcissistic though

https://www.google.ie/url?q=https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-human-beast/201410/is-narcissism-all-bad&sa=U&ved=0ahUKEwiSoumQgonNAhXJAMAKHTCTAeYQFggiMAI&usg=AFQjCNEKcIE7x1JxEjl3fNq6ZBDFUOdNnQ

Winterlong · 02-06-2016 10:28AM

It would not bother me in the slightest to be honest. Its easy enough to avoid it if you dont like it. And sure arent some people a pleasure to look at?

buried · 02-06-2016 10:28AM

Going to be very depressing for these selfie addicts when they eventually get older into their 80's-90's, the only old photos of themselves will be thousands of self portraits with no events or memories to go with them, just a gradual self portrait of them getting older and more wrinklier

kunst nugget · 02-06-2016 10:28AM

LexieOnRale wrote: »

What's wrong with being narcissistic though

Great for you, boring as shíte for everyone else. Narcissism stops you developing as a person and destroys any hope of empathizing with others. Also, can anyone ever be happy spending all their time analyzing themselves and trying to achieve some notion of self perfection? If you think that sounds like a great thing to do, knock yourself out.

galljga1 · 02-06-2016 10:30AM

Duggy747 wrote: »

Or when they join Multi-level marketing schemes and try to flog their horseshít products onto everyone, changing their profile, pictures, and how they talk to resemble something like a spambot.

"Hey everyone, just woke up this morning feeling on top of the world thanks to this holistic, gluten-free, aloe vera, ancient Chinese green tea kale spirulina wheat-grass detox smoothie! Time to take on the world today! You can feel like this too by messaging me for more information and get in on this great opportunity!"

Sounds super, just sent you a PM.

02-06-2016 10:35AM

Your Face wrote: »

A lot of out of shape sweat hogs share similar opinions.

After a few ultra marathons, I wouldn't class myself as an out of shape sweat hog. I'd be fit, and pretty used to a gym...hence I can discern the difference between the power lifting types and those whose achievement is reaching around to injection steroids into their backside and take selfies of themselves at the gym.

02-06-2016 10:36AM

Oh yes, shame on them for feeling good about themselves and wanting to express it.

02-06-2016 10:38AM

Zombienosh wrote: »

Just step away from it, I've deleted Facebook and life is better.

I actually like facebook, I actually use it a lot, interacting with family and friends who live away, meeting up with others for trail runs and the like. It's just a certain subgenre of users seem to suffer from this need to take pictures of themselves doing nothing, but posing. Which is harmless enough when it comes to a pout in a dress, but the steroid thing seems to be a new development taking hold.

02-06-2016 10:40AM

Deleted User wrote: »

Oh yes, shame on them for feeling good about themselves and wanting to express it.

I don't know that they do.

I think anyone who changes their pic multiple times to harvest likes, or takes steroids to enhance their body, fundamentally doesn't feel good about themselves at all and they are searching for reassurance and affirmation.

kunst nugget · 02-06-2016 10:40AM

Duggy747 wrote: »

Or when they join Multi-level marketing schemes and try to flog their horseshít products onto everyone, changing their profile, pictures, and how they talk to resemble something like a spambot.

"Hey everyone, just woke up this morning feeling on top of the world thanks to this holistic, gluten-free, aloe vera, ancient Chinese green tea kale spirulina wheat-grass detox smoothie! Time to take on the world today! You can feel like this too by messaging me for more information and get in on this great opportunity!"

The twenty tens - the decade where everybody became a brand.

screamer · 02-06-2016 10:43AM

Stupid people with no brains don't bother me. I don't use face ache at all you need to be a certain type to be attracted to it as a self promotional platform. It's all fake and contrived. I prefer to live my life than try to go around making others envious of it.......

suicide_circus · 02-06-2016 10:43AM

LexieOnRale wrote: »

What's wrong with being narcissistic though

You're a make up artist or something aren't you?

02-06-2016 10:44AM

Deleted User wrote: »

I don't know that they do.

I think anyone who changes their pic multiple times to harvest likes, or takes steroids to enhance their body, fundamentally doesn't feel good about themselves at all and they are searching for reassurance and affirmation.

Why do you assume that they take steroids?

Having said that, I don't understand it either. Once lived with a chap who was a body builder, looking to go professional, and he would take steroids. Once we were chatting about 'em and he was saying how it was affecting him - getting angry for no reason, lashing out, etc., and when I asked why he just didn't stop taking them, since there was so many negative implications, he said he wasn't sure, but just couldn't stop.

Wibbs · 02-06-2016 10:44AM

LexieOnRale wrote: »

What's wrong with being narcissistic though

If you have to ask...

Walter H Price · 02-06-2016 10:45AM

It is interesting watching the growing impact of social media platforms in modern society. what amaze's me constantly how quickly it moves , 5 years ago if i was on a night out with the lads wed of been chatting up girls at the bar on the dance floor etc... increasingly now wen were out the boys that are still single are on the phones on Tinder looking for girls in the bar , their checking out their instagram , facebook etc.. before even seeing or speaking to them they know what they look like (in various pose's / outfits / in the nip in some cases) what they like , where they've been its s fascinating and only 3 or 4 years ago it didn't exist.

I work in social media , data mining and marketing and understanding the psychology of these platforms its hard to see them ever dissapear in fact they will only grow , become more integrated and more widely used. Th cult of the social celebrity will only grow further.

It may be a little detached and and some may say vacuous and vain but overall it is progress , we can get new and opinion from multiple sources some truly independent , it has sparked movements and gradually sowing the seeds of change globally. I think in time the coming to prominence of social networking will be seen as one of the pivotal moments in human development.

lee_baby_simms · 02-06-2016 10:45AM

Deleted User wrote: »

I don't know that they do.

I think anyone who changes their pic multiple times to harvest likes, or takes steroids to enhance their body, fundamentally doesn't feel good about themselves at all and they are searching for reassurance and affirmation.

I think people can quickly become dependent on shares, likes, views etc. What was originally a display of vanity can quickly become a craving for validation and hence a propensity to point out others flaws as they perceive them.

"You don't like looking at my abs? You must be a fat loser then." etc.

valoren · 02-06-2016 10:50AM

It's a new type of addiction.
Social media is what feeds it.
You post some pictures and poses and you get likes and shares.
You need to see the notification icon going crazy to get your fix.
Hence the constant posting and in extreme cases reposting.

Dr Crayfish · 02-06-2016 10:51AM

Why would you have such muppets on your facebook? I shut it down for a couple of years but came back recently. What I do now is hide the people who post pictures of themselves constantly and pictures of their dinners etc, the people I can't delete as they might be offended, i.e. cousins etc.

Mostly my insight into this self absorbed world has been through casually using online dating sites. Women posting pictures of themselves doing deadlifts, and pictures of their smashed avocado breakfast. How is that in any way interesting?

Sure, the generation they're calling "millennials" are totally into themselves but the best thing to do is ignore it and don't get carried away with it yourself.

02-06-2016 10:52AM

Deleted User wrote: »

Why do you assume that they take steroids?

Having said that, I don't understand it either. Once lived with a chap who was a body builder, looking to go professional, and he would take steroids. Once we were chatting about 'em and he was saying how it was affecting him - getting angry for no reason, lashing out, etc., and when I asked why he just didn't stop taking them, since there was so many negative implications, he said he wasn't sure, but just couldn't stop.

Because they have entered bodybuilding competitions. Now granted that may be possible (albeit rare) for a serious athlete, but this would be guys in their early 30, in one case a few months after giving up a 10 year drinking and recreational drug habit. Even his cheeks are sculpted...:D

Steroid dependency is well documented. They are often used as a short cut...but no one really comes off them once they start getting praise for the way they look. It all feeds into the same dependency cycle.

kunst nugget · 02-06-2016 10:54AM

Deleted User wrote: »

Oh yes, shame on them for feeling good about themselves and wanting to express it.

Tbf, there's a massive difference between the occasional photo of a person putting their best foot forward, looking good and enjoying themselves and the sort of person that incessantly puts up photos on social media of themselves vacantly duckfacing and you know they've taken dozens and dozens of the same photo to get the perfect picture.

02-06-2016 11:07AM

The thing that I find kind of amusing is the whole taking of a photo on a night out. They snap one in a group or with a friend. Look at it, analyse it and if it's not good enough or flattering enough, they'll stage the whole lot again. They're literally falsifying memories.

the evasion_kid · 02-06-2016 11:07AM

We're living in the me generation...

thegreatgonzo · 02-06-2016 11:18AM

Facebook is the place where I put up my photos of my dog, cat and cows and occasional work injuries. Oh and I share occasional Viz posts. That's about it. My life is too boring to document.

Narcissism, selfies, steroids, social media...

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