W. Keith Campbell, a professor and head of the department of psychology in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, was quoted in a New York Times article about the growth of self-promotion.
Campbell, who co-authored a 2007 paper on narcissism and Facebook, told the newspaper that online self-promotion is a result of do-it-yourself capitalism.
“Adam Smith wrote in The Wealth of Nations that people who seem more confident sell more products,” Campbell said. “Now that everybody’s in their own branding business, you have to become your own agent and marketing department. What you get on Facebook is a lot of people building their own brand and esteem, and it becomes normal.”
Campbell also said that while narcissism is “really good at the initial stage of relationship—for being hired or getting promoted, for getting a boyfriend or girlfriend—it damages you over time.”
