Social Media Usage, Narcissism, and Romantic Relationship Quality: A Correlational Analysis

Abstract

Research has shown an increase in narcissism in the general population over time (Twenge & Campbell, 2009). One reason for this phenomenon is due to social media and its features such as likes, comments, and follows that have created a quantifiable means to measure one’s popularity and self-esteem (Gabbard & Crisp, 2018), while also allowing people to have an online presence where they can control what others see. Moreover, research also shows the adverse effects of narcissism, particularly in intimate relationships (Campbell, 1999; Masterson 1998; Altinok & Kilic, 2020). Therefore, this research study addressed the questions, “Is there a correlation between social media usage and narcissism?” and, “Is there a correlation between narcissism and one’s romantic relationship quality?”. Moreover, it was of interest to see if social media usage was a moderating variable that influenced the relationship between narcissism and relationship quality. The results of the study showed no significant correlation between social media and narcissism nor for narcissism and relationship quality, and social media did not moderate the relationship between narcissism and relationship quality. More extensive research on social media usage and romantic relationship quality is required to determine whether there is a correlation between certain reasons for using social media with narcissism and if certain uses of social media may correlate to poorer relationship quality.