The Guardian recently posted a study about the link between social media and the connection people have with self-image and a generally more shallow outlook on relationships. The study noted that those who consistently change their profile picture on Facebook, update their statue, and tag themselves in pictures are more concerned with their image and the way in which they are portrayed which ultimately contribute to a link with a more narcissistic outlook. The research was done by Western Illinois Univeristy on 294 students ages 18-65 and studied the two most socially disruptive forms of narcissism grandiose exhibitionism (GE) and entitlement/exploitativeness (EE).
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/mar/17/facebook-dark-side-study-aggressive-narcissism
This research study shows reliability because it was performed by an educational source and also was validated by other credible educational sources from different learning institutions. With 294 participants, this is a large enough number where the experiment seems representative of the tested demographic.
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