Journal of Behavioural Sciences, Vol 35, No 2 (2025)

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Narcissism, Social Media Usage, and Conspicuous Consumption in Young Adults

Abeer Alkheshnam (PhD)

Abstract


In today’s digital age, social media has become a powerful platform that not only shapespersonal identity but also influences consumer behavior. Among young adults, theintertwining of personality traits with online activity has prompted growing interest in howdigital self-presentation affects consumption patterns. A cross sectional study was undertakentoinvestigate the extent to which narcissism, snd social media usage tend to influenceconspicuous consumption in young adults, reflecting shifting sociocultural dynamics in thedigital era. Specifically, it investigates if narcissistic traits influence social media usage and,subsequently, conspicuous consumption behaviors. Participants included 180 young adults,who actively engaged in various social media platforms. Narcissistic traits were measuredusing the Narcissistic Personality Inventory-16 (NPI-16), while social media usage andconspicuous consumption were assessed using the Social Media Use Integration Scale(Jenkins-Guarnieri et al., 2013) and the Conspicuous Consumption Scale (O’Cass &McEwen, 2004), respectively. The findings revealed a significant positive associationbetween narcissism and conspicuous consumption, suggesting that individuals with highernarcissistic tendencies are more likely to engage in attention-seeking and status-drivenconsumption behaviors. It was found that women tend to have more narcissistic tendenciesand conspicuous consumption compared to men. Social media usage appeared to mediate therelationship between narcissism and conspicuous consumption, indicating that narcissisticindividuals may use social media platforms as a channel to express their identity throughvisible consumption. These insights offer valuable implications for marketers, psychologists,and policymakers seeking to understand the psychological drivers of consumer behavior inthe age of social media. The study underscores the need for further research into personality-driven digital behaviors and their societal impact.

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