Are our celebrities at the helm of social media narcissism or are they victims of it?
Social media has allowed us to carve out our ideal, socially desirable selves like nothing else in the past. It’s no longer merely a network to connect individuals but a tiny, PR machine relentlessly generating desirability via a three-pronged assault of hashtags, airbrushes and ‘likes’. It’s no surprise, then, that social media is a breeding ground for chronic narcissism.
The defining trait of narcissists is their constant, overwhelming need for admiration and adulation from external sources, which in turn fuels their own sense of superiority. A lack of acknowledgement brings about black moods and generally diminishes their drive to get stuff done. Social media platforms make people more susceptible to narcissism, since most varied forms of approval coagulate into a simple ‘like’. While the number of followers and likes can be increased through very different means, most narcissists possibly see themselves as the only way to generate the likes and retweets that are a yardstick of social media success. Instagram has even established a support system with #likeforlike, which functions on reciprocity – give a like to get a guaranteed like in return.
It stands to reason then that the platform is the flame to every celebrity’s moth, since it allows them to spoil themselves silly with their greatest indulgence – themselves. While it would be wildly inaccurate to label all celebrities as narcissists, self-indulgence happens to be something of a professional hazard when the product you’re (figuratively) trying to sell is yourself. Performers of any sort rely heavily on approval, adulation and applause – a fact many celebrities have attested to, publicly.
1. Shahid Kapoor
Shahid Kapoor’s Instagram feed has 1.9 million followers. A meticulous chronicler of his own muscular and follicular developments, he regularly posts a bunch of selfies, with nary a shirt in sight. Every now and then, you’ll find an image of his considerably strained and carb-deprived abdomen with a caption determining the time of the day, in case his fans didn’t have all the necessary details. Shahid has personalised the ‘selfie’ to an incredible extent, with #Earlymorningselfies (and its cousin, #morningwaalaselfie), #goodnightselfies, #sundayselfie and even a more realistic #rubbishselfie. If this doesn’t lend credibility to his narcissistic streak, there’s one post that just reads ‘A person who feels more appreciated always does more than what is expected’. We’d appreciate a little more diversity, Shahid, and we expect you to have a life beyond your personal hall of mirrors.
2. Arjun Kapoor Even Arjun Kapoor seems to have developed a relationship with the mirror that could shame your average French monarch. We know this because one of his Instagram posts clearly states that “An actor’s favourite pass time…playing mirror mirror on the wall”. Even Candy Crush seems productive at this point, but the post was followed by several declarations of love in the comments section, so admittedly, Arjun’s fixation appears to be yielding positive results.
Got a baby croc photo bombing my selfies now…Just another day on Khatron Ke Khiladi in Argentina #crocodiledundee !!! A photo posted by Arjun Kapoor (@arjunkapoor) on
3. John Abraham Shahid isn’t the only star to trade calories for fans. John Abraham’s Instagram page is much like Dwayne Johnson’s official page – in both cases, reticence and modesty remain the only muscles they haven’t exercised to infinity. Most muscle worshipping posts are accompanied by what are meant to be motivational slogans, which heavily rely on the words ‘pain’ and ‘gain’. I assume there’s a definite correlation here, since they seem to go to extreme lengths to have themselves photographed while in the throes of an excruciating workout, resulting in an ever expanding fan base that is euphoric about peeking into their private lives (“Hi bro, hw are u cane v talk don’t mind”, read a rather earnest comment on one of John’s posts).
A lot of John’s creatively collaged posts resemble a Cubist painting, with disjointed close-ups of his forearms (dubbed ‘the interstate’ thanks to criss-crossing veins) thighs and calves. For his monosyllabic fanbase, perhaps the reward lies in putting them together in a symmetrical order to get one whole John (“Body dekh bande ki” read another). This is easier said than done, since it’s occasionally hard to tell his limbs apart. But like the man says, no pain, no gain. Exhibitionism and voyeurism have never been more co-dependent.
4. Virat Kohli Perhaps they have, if you happen to be in Chris Gayle’s bedroom. The West Indies cricketer recently posted a selfie from the mirrored ceiling he has installed over his bed. With a part of the caption reading “Triple century it is tonight”, this act ranks high on the narcissism scale. If said scale maxed out with Kanye West, with Daniel Day-Lewis at the very bottom, Gayle’s self-worship level is a solid Bieber. But Chris manages to throw in a family portrait or a guy’s night out every once in a while, unlike his buddy Virat Kohli, whose imagination is restricted to his suspiciously manicured face. Thankfully, this also means he keeps his shirt on. Here’s a little trading card factoid – Virat Kohli apperas to have the highest percentage of selfies per Instagram page for any major Indian celebrity (28 posts out of 40).
Good morning world. Waking up and straight into the pool. Blissful. Have a great day eveyone 🙏😊#makeeverydaycount👌 A photo posted by Virat Kohli (@virat.kohli) on
The place where it all started. Where i learnt all about the game. West delhi cricket academy. The most special place in my heart. 18 years and counting 😇😊#specialplace#memories A photo posted by Virat Kohli (@virat.kohli) on
5. Gautam Gulati
Vanity runs deep down the showbiz ladder though, with a few people from the B-list, showing identical levels of selfie-love. Actor and model, Gautam Gulati has christened his Insta page ‘WelcometoGauthamCity’. Said city isn’t the metaphor for urban decay. It’s most prominent and, evidently lone citizen has converted it into a carousel of selfies. Sure ‘Gautham City’ isn’t without its share of visitors, mostly people from the higher echelons of the A-list, striking a pose with Bruce Vain who even posts a note to self which reads ‘I’m gonna make you so proud – note to self’.
❤️👼🙈 alia teri ankhon mei dikhta hai kuch nahi yaar ,per jab hasti ho tum -ata hai tum per pyaaaaar . Aalia aalia aakhir tumko paalia ,paaliya paalia tere papa ne di mujhe galiyan . Aaliya aaliya tere liye khayi maine gaaliyaaaaaa ………………. 🙈👼❤️🌹 happy valentines day to all my GGians A photo posted by Gautam Gulati (@welcometogauthamcity) on
It’s not just the men who are solely implicit in extreme self-idolation. Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and Nicki Minaj are some of the most narcissistic entertainers out there, featuring themselves in a majority of posts, using it primarily for self-promotion. Miley Cyrus, who has risen from the ashes of her teenage wasteland, uses Instagram as her personal journal of bizarre. She’s usually found smeared in glitter and/or whipped cream when she’s not superimposing her face onto a mix of primary colours like the empress of a postapocalyptic Fairytopia.
Admittedly, platforms like Instagram aren’t particularly effective as tools for communication, and since their purpose is to catalogue the individual, said individual can choose to do it in any way she wishes to. However, the notion that people’s lives revolve primarily around their appearance begs credulity, as does the fact that it’s what most followers primarily respond to. But we all know the latter to be true – selfie culture is here to stay, since it raises the stakes of sociability and prompts more self-promotion in return. It’s a prophecy rendered self fulfilling by the lot of us – the celebs just do it better.
