Alessandra Tanesini Decmber 2018 The Offensive Internet The

Alessandra Tanesini Decmber 2018

§ The Offensive Internet § The Narcissistic Internet § Two forms of narcissism THE PLAN § Narcissism as a regulatory system of the Self § SNSs and their affordances § The self as an exhibit § SNSs and the extended narcissistic self-regulatory system

§ Social Networking Sites are rife with degrading, offensive and intimidating behaviors. § These include but are not limited to § Cyberbullying § Doxing § Threats and intimidation § Women are often the target of this behaviour on and off-line

§ There is some evidence of a rise in narcissism in Western societies (Campbell & Foster, 2007) § Narcissism is predictive of active internet use such as frequency of posts, status updates and tweets § Narcissism § Grandiose exhibitionism § Exploitativeness/superiority § Facebook is a mirror for College students exhibitionism § Twitter is a megaphone for College students to announce superiority (Panek et al. 2013) § Instagram is also a mirror. Selfie posting is predictive of exhibitionism (Moon et al. 2016) § The direction of causation is not clear

§ Objectifying look (Beauvoir) § Reduces one to sexualised body parts (Bartky, 1982; Langton, 2009) § Makes one hypervisible in two senses § Nothing is hidden- one is all surface (denial of subjectivity) § One is all spectacle: one’s value is in the delectation of the viewer (instrumentalization) § Makes one’s body feels conspicuous § Body ownership vs sense of agency (Gallagher, 2005) § Body ownership is preserved § Sense of agency is disrupted (autonomy violation)

§ Inferiorised narcissim as endorsing the objectifying look over oneself. § Narcissism as an infatuation with an inferiorised body (Bartky, 1982) § One endorses as defining of one’s intrinsic value the standards set for oneself by the objectifying look. § Meeting these standards is a source of pride and pleasure § It is also a source of shame (because it shows how little is expected of one) § Failing to meet them a source of shame

§ Shaming as any practice intended to produce in its recipients § episodic feelings of shame § Shame-proness § Shame-proneness as an affective attunement to one’s social environment (Bartky, 1990) which is hypervigilant to the opportunities for shame it affords and takes pre-emptive measure to avoid shame.

§ Shaming often involves visible features as symbols of failings (e. g. , skin colour as marker of character traits) § There are different possible responses to shaming behaviour § Anger and aggression (perceives treatment as unwarranted) § Feeling ashamed (perceives treatment as fitting) § Feeling humiliated (perceives treatment as demeaning) § Shame-proneness as anxious checking of one’s own shame affording features (extreme self-involvement)

§ Grandiose Narcissism § Agentic § Infatuation with a superiorised self § Inferiorised Narcissism § Focused on bodily being § Infatuation with an inferiorised self § Neither wishes to be in(visible) (Dolezal, 2015) § Autonomous and inconspicuous § Both seek the hypervisibility that results from being the target of admiration

§ Both seek others’ approval § Both put value in appearing to some others to meet standards valued by these others. § Hence, one sees one’s intrinsic value as determined by others’ judgements (irrespective of their perceived validity) § Hence, dissimulation and concealment § Making a spectacle of oneself § Difference in the affective attunement § Grandiose narcissism is hypervigilant for pride opportunities § Inferiorised narcissism is hypervigilant for shame opportunities

§ Narcissism is a collection of mutually re -enforcing features that constitute a system which keeps narcissism going (Campbell & Foster 2007). § These features are: § Internal motivations § Interpersonal skills § Intra-personal regulation § Interpersonal strategies (impression management)

§ Grandiose Narcissism § Internal motivations (seeking others’ approval as opportunity to self-enhance; agentic concerns wants to be admired) § Interpersonal skills (charms; social confidence) § Intra-personal regulation (fantasies of power; self-serving biases) § Interpersonal strategies (self-promotion) § Produces feel good factor (narcissistic self-esteem) when system is working well § Produces shaming behaviour when it does not as a way of making others enhance one to deflect attack

§ Inferiorised narcissism § Internal motivations (seeking others’ approval as a means of avoiding shame; pro-social concerns. Wants to be liked) § Interpersonal skills (charms; ingratiates) § Intra-personal regulation (self-serving biases; fantasies of revenge) § Interpersonal strategies (self-promotion; self-shaming; ingratiation by way of others’ enhancement) § Feel good factor is always unstable because always subjected to shaming treatment

§ Social network sites, are defined as ‘‘web -based services that allow individuals to (1) construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system, § (2) articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, and § (3) view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system’’ (boyd & Ellison 2007). § Examples: facebook, instagram, twitter, youtube, etc.

§ Persistence – Content cannot easily be fully erased § Replicability – Ease of reproduction § Scalability – Ease of sharing § Searchability – Ease of retrieval § (boyd, 2010) § The affordances of SNS allow us to present ourselves to others (display a persona) as something akin to an exhibit rather than by way of a performance (Hogan, 2010). § SNS change impression management

§ Bias for content that is exhibit-like anyway and can easily survive a lack of context (e. g. , selfies or videos) § Bias for trivial content (to deal with the fact that one does not know who sees it) (Strategy for dealing with collapsed contexts, (boyd, 2007)) § Bias for popularity (impress as many as possible as measured in likes and shares) § There is no hidden side to exhibits (all surface)

§ SNS provide a new environment that makes it easier for the narcissistic regulatory system to be initiated and to keep going § It offers new and different opportunities to self-enhance and receive immediate feedback § It offers new opportunities to turn other people into shamed exhibits (making a spectacle)

§Thank You!