A study of the relationship between narcissism, extraversion, drive for entertainment, and narcissistic behavior on social networking sites

Abstract

As social networking sites are gaining popularity, the rise in narcissistic culture on theses sites are also documented. Literature suggests users' personality traits may be important factors leading people to engage in narcissistic behaviors. Using a national sample of Chinese adults, this study investigated the relationship between narcissism, extraversion, drive for entertainment and narcissistic behaviors on a Chinese social networking site, Wechat Moment. We also examined whether demographic variables and online time played a role in that dynamic. Results revealed that narcissism predicted exhibitionistic behaviors on Wechat Moment, ratings of one's profile picture and using an image of oneself as profile picture over and above extraversion and drive for entertainment controlling for online time and demographic variables. Contrary to our hypothesis, narcissism did not predict higher frequency of Wechat Moment posting over and above drive for entertainment and extraversion. Different sub-factors of narcissism also contributed differently to the variance of narcissistic behavior on SNS.