Narcissism due to social networking?

Remember “looking out for No. 1”? The results of a just-released study on narcisissm sound a little like that phrase I heard a lot when I was just out of college (we won’t say how long ago). “A new study argues that self-absorption in college students is at a new high,” reports the Chicago Tribune on a study at San Diego State University. “The authors of the study – which has tracked college students’ attitudes about themselves yearly since 1982 – are not talking about pathological narcissistic personality disorder; just an attitude of ‘It’s all about me’,” the Trib says, and they say blogging and social networking are “playing a big role” in this. Tech educator Andy Carvin takes exception to this argument in his blog at PBS.org: “The vast majority of people who use social networking sites aren’t in on it to become famous and have hordes of adoring fans. Sure, some people are there for vanity or proto-celebrity purposes, but most people are there for us, not me…. They’re communities where people reinforce interpersonal relationships through sharing and creating content…. [They] want to be a part of something bigger than themselves.”