Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The Narcissistic Millennial Generation: A Study of Personality Traits and Online Behavior on Facebook

  • Published:
Journal of Adult Development Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to investigate differences between late (born: 1991–2000) and early (born: 1977–1990) Millennials regarding the personality traits narcissism, sensation seeking, self-esteem, and Facebook use. Furthermore, we investigated the relationship between personality traits and Facebook use, in both groups. Data of 254 Millennial Facebook users were collected. Results of regression discontinuity analyses including age as covariate indicate that late Millennials on average score significantly higher on narcissism, sensation seeking, self-presentation, and social interaction on Facebook than early Millennials. These cohort effects occur beyond age effects. In both groups, narcissism, sensation seeking, self-esteem, and online behavior were positively related. Interpretation of the results focuses on technological innovation and cultural change which affect the development of early and late Millennials differently. It is concluded that late and early Millennials differ substantially regarding personality traits and online behavior.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abadzi, H. (1984). Ability grouping effects on academic achievement and self-esteem in a southwestern school district. Journal of Educational Research, 77, 287–292.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alby, T. (2008). Web 2.0: Konzepte, Anwendungen, Technologien (3rd ed.). München: Hanser.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Beauducel, A., Strobel, A., & Brocke, B. (2003). Psychometrische Eigenschaften und Normen einer deutschsprachigen Fassung der Sensation Seeking-Skalen. Form V. Diagnostica, 49, 61–72.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bergman, S. M., Fearrington, M. E., Davenport, S. W., & Bergman, J. Z. (2011). Millennials, narcissism, and social networking: What narcissists do on social networking sites and why. Personality and Individual Differences, 50, 706–711.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bettel, S. (2009). Warum Web 2.0? Oder: Was vom Web 2.0 wirklich bleiben wird. In A. Blumauer & T. Pellegrini (Hrsg.), Social Semantic Web. Web 2.0 – Was nun? (pp. 23–41). Berlin: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bortz, J. (2005). Statistik für Human- und Sozialwissenschaftler (6. Aufl.). Heidelberg: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brailovskaia, J., & Bierhoff, H. W. (2012). Sensation Seeking Narcissists, Extraversion and Self-Presentation in social Networks in Web 2.0. Journal of Business and Media Psychology, 3, 43–56.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brailovskaia, J., & Bierhoff, H. W. (2016). Cross-cultural narcissism on Facebook: Relationship between self-presentation, social interaction and the open and covert narcissism on a social networking site in Germany and Russia. Computers in Human Behavior, 55, 251–257. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.09.018.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brailovskaia, J., & Margraf, J. (2016). Comparing Facebook users and Facebook non-users: Relationship between personality traits and mental health variables—an exploratory study. PLoS ONE, 11(12), e0166999. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0166999.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Brailovskaia, J., & Margraf, J. (2018). What does media use reveal about personality and mental health? An exploratory investigation among German students. PLoS ONE, 13(1), e0191810. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0191810.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Buffardi, L. E., & Campbell, W. K. (2008). Narcissism and social networking web sites. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 34, 1303–1314.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cabral, J. (2011). Is generation Y addicted to social media? The Elon Journal of Undergraduate Research in Communications, 2, 5–14.

    Google Scholar 

  • Campbell, W. K., Rudich, E., & Sedikides, C. (2002). Narcissism, self-esteem, and the positivity of self-views: Two portraits of self-love. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 28, 358–368. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167202286007.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Hillsdale: Lawrence Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cook, T. D. (2008). Waiting for life to arrive: A history of the regression-discontinuity design in psychology, statistics, and economics. Journal of Econometrics, 142, 636–654.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cook, T. D., & Campbell, D. T. (1979). Quasi-experimentation. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Correa, T., Hinsley, A. W., & de Zúñiga, H. G. (2010). Who interacts on the Web? The Inter-section of users’ personality and social media use. Computers in Human Behavior, 26, 247–253. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2009.09.003.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coyne, S. M., Padilla-Walker, L. M., & Howard, E. (2013). Emerging in a digital world: A decade review of media use, effects, and gratifications in emerging adulthood. Emerging Adulthood, 1, 125–137. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167696813479782.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davenport, S. W., Bergman, S. M., Bergman, J. Z., & Fearrington, M. E. (2014). Twitter versus Facebook: Exploring the role of narcissism in the motives and usage of different social media platforms. Computers in Human Behavior, 32, 212–220.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DeBard, R. (2004). Millennials coming to college. New Directions for Student Services, 2004(106), 33–45.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DeWall, C. N., Buffardi, L. E., Bonser, I., & Campbell, W. K. (2011). Narcissism and implicit attention seeking: Evidence from linguistic analyses of social networking and online presentation. Personality and Individual Differences, 51, 57–62.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dickinson, K. A., & Pincus, A. L. (2003). Interpersonal analysis of grandiose and vulnerable narcissism. Journal of Personality Disorders, 17, 188–207.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Diener, E., & Diener, M. (1995). Cross-cultural correlates of life satisfaction and self-esteem. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 68, 653–663.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Djamasbi, S., Siegel, M., & Tullis, T. (2010). Generation Y, web design, and eye tracking. International Journal of Human Computer Studies, 68, 307–323.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hayes, M., van Stolk-Cooke, & Muench, F. (2015). Understanding Facebook use and the psychological affects of use across generations. Computers in Human Behavior, 49, 507–511.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Howe, N., & Strauss, W. (2003). Millennials go to college. American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Offices (AACRAO) and Life Course Associates. http://fys.utk.edu/wpcontent/blogs.dir/108/files/2014/01/Howe_millennials.pdf. Accessed 06 November 2018.

  • Imbens, G. W., & Lemieux, T. (2008). Regression discontinuity designs: A guide to practice. Journal of Econometrics, 142, 615–635.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kernis, M. H., & Sun, C.-R. (1994). Narcissism and reactions to interpersonal feedback. Journal of Research in Personality, 28, 4–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Khang, H., Kim, J. K., & Kim, Y. (2013). Self-traits and motivations as antecedents of digital media flow and addiction: The internet, mobile phones, and video games. Computers in Human Behavior, 29, 2416–2424.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kilburn, M. (2011). Why individuals choose to post incriminating information on social networking sites: Social control and social disorganization theories in context. International Review of Information Ethics, 16, 55–59.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kujath, C. L. (2011). Facebook and MySpace: Complement or substitute for face-to-face interaction? Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 14, 75–78.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lin, H., Tov, W., & Qui, L. (2014). Emotional disclosure on social networking sites: The role of network structure and psychological needs. Computers in Human Behavior, 41, 342–350.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mehdizadeh, S. (2010). Self-Presentation 2.0: Narcissism and Self-Esteem on Facebook. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 13, 357–364.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moore, K., & McElroy, J. C. (2012). The Influence of personality on Facebook usage, wall postings, and regret. Computers in Human Behavior, 28, 267–274.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Neumann, E., & Bierhoff, H. W. (2004). Egotism versus love in romantic relationships: Narcissism related to attachment and love styles. Zeitschrift für Sozialpsychologie, 35, 33–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O’Reilly, T. (2005). What is Web 2.0. design patterns and business models for the next generation of software. O’Reilly. http://oreilly.com/web2/archive/what-is-web-20.html. Accessed 06 November 2018.

  • O’Reilly, T. (2006). Web 2.0 Service Mark Controversy (Tim responding this time). O’Reilly, Radar. http://radar.oreilly.com/2006/05/web-20-service-mark-controvers.html. Accessed 06 November 2018.

  • Ong, E. Y., Ang, R. P., Ho, J., Lim, J. C., Goh, D. H., Lee, C. S., & Chua, A. Y. (2011). Narcissism, extraversion and adolescents’ self-presentation on Facebook. Personality and Individual Differences, 50, 180–185. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2010.09.022.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Orr, E. S., Sisic, M., Ross, C., Simmering, M. G., Arseneault, J. M., & Orr, R. R. (2009). The influence of shyness on the use of Facebook in an undergraduate sample. CyberPsychology and Behavior, 12, 337–340. https://doi.org/10.1089/cpb.2008.0214.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pempek, T. A., Yermolayeva, Y. A., & Calvert, S. L. (2009). College students’ social networking experiences on Facebook. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 30, 227–238. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2008.12.010.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Petersen, L. E., Stahlberg, D., & Frey, D. (2006). Selbstwertgefühl. In H. W. Bierhoff & D. Frey (Hrsg.), Handbuch der Sozialpsychologie und Kommunikationspsychologie (pp. 40–48). Göttingen: Hogrefe.

    Google Scholar 

  • Raskin, R., & Terry, H. (1988). A principal-components analysis of the Narcissistic Personality Inventory and further evidence of its construct validity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54, 890–902.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ridgeway, D., & Russell, J. A. (1980). Reliability and validity of the Sensation-Seeking Scale: Psychometric problems in Form V. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 48, 662–664.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rödder, A. (2011). Geschichte der deutschen Wiedervereinigung. München: C. H. Beck.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Rohmann, E., Neumann, E., Herner, M. J., & Bierhoff, H. W. (2012). Grandiose and vulnerable narcissism: self-construal, attachment, and love in romantic relationships. European Psychologist, 17, 279–290. https://doi.org/10.1027/1016-9040/a000100.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roth, P. (2018). Nutzerzahlen: Facebook, Instagram, Messenger und WhatsApp, Highlights, Umsätze, uvm. (Stand Februar 2018). allfacebook.de. https://allfacebook.de/toll/state-of-facebook. Accessed 06 November 2018.

  • Schütz, A., Marcus, B., & Sellin, I. (2004). Measuring narcissism as a personality construct: Psychometric properties of a long and a short form of the German version of the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI). Diagnostica, 50, 202–218.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shadish, W. R., Cook, T. D., & Campbell, D. T. (2002). Experimental and quasi-experimental designs for generalized causal inference. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sheldon, P. (2012). Profiling the non-users: Examination of life-position indicators, sensation seeking, shyness, and loneliness among users and non-users of social network sites. Computers in Human Behavior, 28, 1960–1965.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stewart, J. B. (2016). Facebook Has 50 Minutes of Your Time Each Day. It Wants More. The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/06/business/facebook-bends-the-rules-of-audience-engagement-to-its-advantage.html?_r=0. Accessed 06 November 2018.

  • Tapscott, D. (2009). Grown up digital: How the Net Generation is changing your world. New York: McGraw-Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thistlethwaite, D. L., & Campbell, D. T. (1960). Regression-discontinuity analysis: An alternative to the ex post facto experiment. Journal of Educational Psychology, 51, 309–317.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Twenge, J. M. (2001). Birth cohort changes in extraversion: A cross-temporal meta-analysis, 1966–1993. Personality and Individual Differences, 30, 735–748.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Twenge, J. M. (2012, May 2). Millennials: The greatest generation or the most Narcissistic? The Atlantic. http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/05/millennials-the-greatest-generation-or-the-most-narcissistic/256638/. Accessed 06 November 2018.

  • Twenge, J. M., & Campbell, W. K. (2001). Age and birth cohort differences in self-esteem: A cross-temporal meta-analysis. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 5, 321–344.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Twenge, J. M., & Campbell, W. K. (2009). The Narcissism epidemic—living in the age of entitlement. New York: Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Twenge, J. M., Konrath, S., Foster, J. D., Campbell, W. K., & Bushman, B. J. (2008). Egos inflating over time: A cross-temporal meta-analysis of the Narcissistic Personality Inventory. Journal of Personality, 76, 875–901.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Valenzuela, S., Correa, T., & Gil de Zúñiga, H. (2018). Ties, likes, and tweets: Using strong and weak ties to explain differences in protest participation across Facebook and Twitter use. Political Communication, 35, 117–134.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van der Klaauw, W. (2002). Estimating the effects of financial aid offers on college enrollment: A regression-discontinuity approach. International Economic Review, 43, 1249–1287.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Von Collani, G., & Herzberg, P. Y. (2003). Eine revidierte Fassung der deutschsprachigen Skala zum Selbstwertgefühl von Rosenberg. Zeitschrift für Differentielle und Diagnostische Psychologie, 24, 3–7. https://doi.org/10.1024//0170-1789.24.1.3.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, J. L., Jackson, L. A., Zhang, D. J., & Su, Z. Q. (2012). The relationships among the Big Five Personality factors, self-esteem, narcissism, and sensation-seeking to students’ uses of social networking sites (SNSs). Computers in Human Behavior, 28, 2313–2319.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, R. E., Gosling, S. D., & Graham, L. T. (2012). A review of Facebook research in the social sciences. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 7, 203–220.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Windisch, E., & Medman, N. (2008). Understanding the digital natives. Ericsson Business Review, 1, 36–39. http://www.ericsson.com/ericsson/corpinfo/publications/ericsson_ business_review/pdf/108/understanding_digital_natives.pdf. Accessed 06 November 2018.

  • Zuckerman, M. (1994). Behavioral expression and biosocial bases of Sensation Seeking. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Funding

No funding was received.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mental Health Research and Treatment Center, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Massenbergstr. 9-13, 44787, Bochum, Germany

    Julia Brailovskaia

  2. Department of Social Psychology, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universitätsstraße 150, 44801, Bochum, Germany

    Hans-Werner Bierhoff

Authors
  1. Julia Brailovskaia
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Hans-Werner Bierhoff
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Julia Brailovskaia.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Human and Animal Rights

This article does not contain any studies with animals performed by any of the authors.

Additional information

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Brailovskaia, J., Bierhoff, HW. The Narcissistic Millennial Generation: A Study of Personality Traits and Online Behavior on Facebook. J Adult Dev 27, 23–35 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10804-018-9321-1

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10804-018-9321-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation