Gallegos 1

Stephanie Gallegos
Professor Baird
ENG 1010 Section #63
05/01/2014
Annotated Bibliography
The experience of socializing with friends has dramatically changed over the past few
years with new development and trends in social media. When talking to a friend, relative, or
even a loved one do you find that either you or they arent paying attention, rather you/they are
staring at their mobile devices. I find this happening almost every time I try to socialize face-to-
face. After a while of observing my fellow friends become consumed within their Facebook,
Twitter, or even Myspace profile, I became a little curious as to why people were so obsessed
with social media. I decided to open an account with Facebook about two years ago and lost
interest extremely fast. The majority of the posts I found amongst my friends were self-absorbed
and attention seeking comments and surprisingly people were actually replying with sympathy
for these individuals blabbing their life stories over a publicly viewed website. I was
flabbergasted. Since I encountered this social media phenomenon I have been intrigued by its
odd effects specifically on youth, from birth to about mid-twenties; yes, there are profiles for
infants. In doing my research I hope to elaborate: the effects of social media, particularly
Facebook, on young adults and children, conclude whether or not Facebook advocates
narcissism, and also conclude whether its the Facebookians or Facebook itself that we should
blame for the issues that have arisen from this social trend of constantly being connected.
Gallegos 2

Mehdizadeh, Soraya. "Self-Presentation 2.0: Narcissism and Self-Esteem on Facebook."
Cyberpsychology, Behavior & Social Networking 13.4 (2010): 357-364. Business Source
Premier. Web. 30 Apr. 2014.
The article Self-Presentation 2.0: Narcissism and Self-Esteem on Facebook was written
by an undergraduate student, Mehdizadeh, and was published by Cyberpsychology, Behavior &
Social Networking in 2010. The article elaborates the way Facebook reveals narcissistic and low
self-esteem behaviors through an individuals Facebook profile activity. Mehdizadeh examines
individuals higher in narcissism and lower in self-esteem and the correlation between greater
online activity and self-promoting content.
Mehdizadeh has credibility because she was majoring in philosophy which gave her an
upper hand in evaluating typical misconceptions. This benefits her credibility because her
knowledge allows her to overlook generalizations and view social media in a different way than
the majority of people. The authors style and tone is an academic approach, which provides
readers with an easy understandable read. She doesnt use abbreviations that readers may not be
familiar with and tends to use commonly used words, but still takes an academic approach.
Mehdizadeh uses different types of evidence such as statistics and graphs to make her argument
more convincing. Although she does use some sense of shared values, she mostly persuades by
using logical appeal. Mehdizadeh wrote an effective argument with her credibility and straight
forward evidence.
This article has affected my position on this topic because of the evidence it provides. I
feel that it has weakened my opinion that Facebook is a beneficial addition to our social lifes
and has strengthened my opinion that when Facebook is overused it can cause some social
problems amongst the users. With the variety of evidence given in this article I can say that it
Gallegos 3

relates to both sides of the arguments on this topic, although it does shift more towards the
argument that Facebook promotes narcissism and other egotistical behaviors. The research done
in this case study is similar to that of the article by Kapidzic, even though it is less specific, it
does include some similar concepts such as the aspects of a narcissistic individuals profile.
Veretilo, Pavel, and Stephen Billick. "Psychiatric Illness and Facebook: A Case Report."
Psychiatric Quarterly 83.3 (2012): 385-389. Academic Search Premier. Web. 2 Apr.
2014.
This case report done by Veretilo, is basically research done to elaborate the ways
physicians aim to enhance their patients treatment by using social media such as Facebook. The
focus of most of the case studies done in this article is the use amongst teenagers and young
adults. The case studies point out both the positive and negative effects of social media by
evaluating the way that teenagers utilize Facebook.
Veretilos case study is a credible source mainly because it is evidence directly extracted
from an individuals experience with Facebook. Veretilo is actually a psychiatrist in New York
and thus is credible because of his experience and knowledge he has in psychology. This case
study was written effectively because of the academic approach and extensive use of details of
patients experiences.
This case report has affected my position on this topic because of the straight forward
evidence that benefits the side I was beginning to approach, Facebook promotes narcissism.
After reading this case report I feel a bit undecided on the topic because I was beginning to feel
strong opinions about Facebook negative affects on youth, but now I have read experiences that
mentally ill patients have had with Facebook and other social Medias that have benefited their
treatments. This article points out the positive and negative effects that Facebook has on teens
Gallegos 4

and young adults, but I feel it focuses more on the pros side of the argument. This article isnt
necessarily an opposition of the other articles, its more of a case study showing that Facebook
may not only have negative effects, but also some positive effects.
Nitzburg, George C., and Barry A. Farber. "Putting Up Emotional (Facebook) Walls?
Attachment Status and Emerging Adults' Experiences of Social Networking Sites."
Journal of Clinical Psychology 69.11 (2013): 1183-1190. Academic Search Premier.
Web. 2 Apr. 2014.
This article examines the changes in youths ways of connecting with one another, in
which social media has influenced. Changes such as relationships with family, friends, loved
ones, and even enemies. Nitzburg and Farber explain that these changes have created an
opportunity for those who have separation issues or are just lonely to become connected with
society and develop relationships, which in the end boosts their confidence and helps them
interact more effectively face-to-face. He also explains the other side of the argument that social
media has negative effects on quality of relationships such as the development and sustainability
of those relationships.
Nitzburg and Farber are both credible because of their extensive backgrounds in
psychology. Nitzburg is a professor at Columbia University in which he teaches his self-designed
class to Master's level students entitled, "Technology, Psychology, & Psychotherapy. Farber is
also a professor of psychology and also in education and an editor of the journal of clinical
psychology. Both of these individuals are massively reliable on this topic and have written a
powerful article because of that and because of their abilities to communicate their beliefs
effectively.
Gallegos 5

This article has made me both oppose and agree with this topic. Not because it was
confusing, but because of its detailed focus of both sides of the argument. Now it is just a fight
over whether the cons and pros weigh out or not. Nitzburg and Farber created an argumentative
article that balances between both sides of the argument without focusing more on one or the
other. Therefore I feel this article is a great source for my essay because it will provide more than
one side of the ongoing conversations on this topic. This article is basically a more in-depth
explanation of results similar to the ones found in Mehdizadehs article.
Kapidzic, Sanja. "Narcissism as a Predictor of Motivations Behind Facebook Profile Picture
Selection." Cyberpsychology, Behavior & Social Networking 16.1 (2013): 14-19.
Academic Search Premier. Web. 3 Apr. 2014.
This article explores the question on whether and how the differences of personalities are
manifested in social networking. The study examines this topic through an analysis of the
relationship between narcissism and the motivations behind Facebook profile picture selection.
The study was done with 288 undergraduate students with an emphasis on physical
attractiveness, personality, and social ties. The studies found narcissism to be a predictor of the
profile picture selections that emphasize attractiveness and personality for both men and women.
Kapidzics research is credible because it was research directly from individuals
experiences with the considerations of their lifestyles and other factors that would play a role in
those individuals profile picture selections. She effectively communicates her research with an
academic approach and direct evidence with out any pre-existing bias.
This article may have a very particular focus on Facebook and it doesnt really pursue
any other sides of the argument because its focus is so specific, but it does help provide evidence
for the argument that Facebook promotes narcissism. I feel this article didnt have an impact on
Gallegos 6

my opinion, but it does provide some new information to the topic itself. This article is similar to
both Mehdizadehs and Nitzberg, et. al. because its about negative effects of social media, but it
is more focused on the motivations behind profile selection.


Utz, Sonja, Martin Tanis, and Ivar Vermeulen. "It Is All About Being Popular: The Effects Of
Need For Popularity On Social Network Site Use." Cyberpsychology, Behavior & Social
Networking 15.1 (2012): 37-42. Academic Search Premier. Web. 3 Apr. 2014.
This article examines the connection between personality characteristic and social
networking use. Rather than focusing on narcissism and self-esteem this article focuses on the
need
for popularity. The authors found that previous studies lacked the ability to provide systematic
relationships between personality variables and social networking use. Thus the authors felt that
the need for popularity may be a better explanation to those who feel an urge to constantly be
connected.
All three authors have some credibility because they have all received their Ph.D.s, but I
feel they mostly relied on the credibility of others by putting other authors work to shame and by
providing evidence to back up their claims on what they believe to be a more in-depth argument
on the topic. The article may have been persuasive to someone who is at an undecided position
of the topic because of the one minded position the authors take, but not so much for someone
who has background knowledge on the topic and has chosen a position.
I dont necessarily feel that this article has changed my opinion, but I do believe it has
provided new information on the topic. The article only focuses on the reasons why the need for
Gallegos 7

popularity is the only explanation for those who tend to have more profile activity and self-
promoting content on their profiles. Therefore this source does benefit at least one side of the
argument I intend to pursue in my essay. This article is an opposition to all of the theories
elaborated on in the other articles, it is about Facebook being a promoter of a need for popularity
rather than an advocate for narcissism.
In doing my research I have learned that there is a lot more to the argument of the
connection between Facebook and narcissism than just two sides. I can say that I have shifted my
opinion a tad because of the extensive evidence provided in many of the articles and case studies
I have read. This has influenced me to conclude that there is definitely a connection between
Facebook and narcissism, but that there are also other factors to be considered such as: self-
esteem, loneliness, need for popularity and attention, and simply extroverted individuals. I still
feel a need for more evidence to conclude the effects that social media has on youth and whether
it is Facebook or the users we should blame for the issues that the trend of being connected has
caused.