In the digital world, the content creator IS GOD
It awakens with that dreaded feeling of self-loathing. The narcissist, once more in the bottomless pit of despair. It needs a hit desperately, but can barely move. Then, it has an idea. As it reaches for its phone, the weight begins to lift. It has been saving this video for this very moment. Click — post…a like…a comment.
“They do like me!” the narcissist whispers, exhaling as the self-loathing melts away. Bombarded with likes, the narcissist is recharged by hits of social validation, instantly self-assured, certain of their worth once again.
Research shows that heavy social media use predicts higher levels of grandiose narcissism. And the platform is designed to keep that feeling coming — because attention is a money maker.
It didn’t have to be this way — but viewed through the lens of capitalism, it was perhaps inevitable that social media would become a breeding ground for narcissism.
Living the dream
The life of the would-be content creator begins with a simple dream: to become an influencer. To influence people, you need them to follow you.
With over 5 billion people using social media, an influencer need only tap into a tiny proportion of that digital population to build a significant following.
Achieving the goal commands respect, often serious income, and perhaps the ultimate ambition: fame. The more followers, the more valuable your personal brand, and the more you can enhance your content.
Success buys freedom from the 9‑to‑5, freedom from mundane, dead-end jobs, freedom to work when and where your heart desires. It’s a lifestyle many can only dream of, enticing followers who crave the lives influencers project — inspiring envy, jealousy and inadequacy.
This makes the influencer feel all-powerful, but more importantly, it inspires negative feelings within followers. The perfect outcome: followers end up spending money they don’t have on stuff they don’t need to fill the void left by inadequacy.
“If I just have a tummy tuck, I’ll be just as beautiful as her,” the follower convinces themselves.
Ironically, influencers are just as likely to be influenced by influencers they follow. They, too, feel inadequate and spend money to stay ahead of the endless influencer game.
For capitalism, this is a dream come true. But social media has a dark side — it’s making people sick.
The cult of ME
Social media creates a digital world where influencers have a platform designed to establish the cult of ME.
The more attractive, outrageous, or glamorous your content — the more active you are — the more followers you gain. Each new follower brings likes, comments, and validation, feeding a cycle that rewards self-presentation above all else.
Algorithms are designed to keep you hooked, rewarding outrage, vanity, and comparison because these emotions generate engagement — and engagement is what drives revenue for social media companies.
Influencers are products of the system, groomed by invisible forces to perform, consume, and amplify envy. While they’re being exploited, in the digital reality, the influencer feels like a GOD.
They control what followers see and hear, carefully curating a life that may be far removed from reality. Hours spent editing photos, videos, and posts to project an image of success, happiness, or contentment — even if behind the screen, they’re struggling.
Every new follower is a hit of validation, reinforcing the influencer’s self-image in ways that are much harder to achieve in the real world.
This is social media’s genius and its danger: influencers are provided a comfort blanket of control. They can shape a reality that looks authentic, commands attention, and receives unlimited adoration from their audience.
It’s intoxicating.
They feel powerful, important, and admired, even if their significance exists only within a digital mirror.
Social media is a platform built for self-glorification. It turns ordinary users into performers and encourages a relentless treadmill of content creation. For some, the line between reality and curated identity blurs entirely.
Narcissism may well be embedded in the business models of social media platforms, but that’s not to say every content creator is narcissistic. It is to say that these platforms reward those who behave like narcissists.
Social media is designed to create monsters — and we all participate in producing them.
Feeding the monsters
Social media doesn’t just encourage narcissism — it has industrialised it. Every swipe, every scroll, every like is engineered to manipulate attention, feed insecurity, and extract profit.
For narcissists, it’s heaven. They are provided endless narcissistic supply: a psychological addiction where validation, admiration, and attention feed a narcissist’s sense of entitlement. Platforms sustain this cycle, transforming ordinary users into self-obsessed performers.
Social media offers little value beyond self-glorification. It mirrors a society driven by rules that make people feel inadequate, so they go and buy stuff they don’t need, all to provide a short-lived injection of happiness.
Who would have thought that social media would become a digital prison implanted in the palm of our hands? Connecting an entire planet like never before, but disconnecting us from the real world.
At the heart of it is a factory system creating narcissists by the hour, dividing people who convince themselves they are the gods of their own realities.
Social media is the embodiment of an economic system indifferent to human well-being. The more you use it, the deeper down the rabbit hole you fall.
So disconnect.
Break free from the shackles of social media. Reclaim the world that actually exists — the one without a ‘like’ button. Because gods made of pixels don’t exist when the screen goes dark.
