Narcissism at its Finest

In Don Tapscott’s book “Grown Up Digital,” professor Jean Twenge claims that the twenty-first-century-teen lives in a narcissistic society. With an emphasis on technology in everyday life, various websites have caused an influx in attention-seeking behavior by teenagers. Popular websites include: MySpace, Youtube, and Facebook. Their names say it all. – These sites fullfill the purpose of having a self-embellished space where one has the ability to exhibit to others an elaborate personal profile.
As a twenty-first-century-teenager myself, I would have to agree with Twenge’s seemingly farfetched claim. For those who have not made use of the websites previously mentioned, it would be undenaibly difficult to imagine how self-indluged the majoity of teenagers in our society have learned to become. Daily and even hourly “status-updates” take place on Myspace and Facebook. Teenagers have essentially grown to think that their present emotions and whereabouts must be constantly projected on their personal profiles. Many teens would consider an obsolete online profile to be social suicide. Twenge's claim might not seem so farferched now - huh?

Sharing Is Caring

While I am a firm believer of the idea that “sharing is caring,” I cannot stand it when people take advantage of my generosity. I tend to offer other students a pen when they forget to bring theirs to class, but when I realize that they fail to return the object of my kind gesture, I become very aggravated. Each month I make extra trips to CVS to restock my pens - which I know will eventually end up in the book-bags of several SMU students.

In my residence hall, my next-door neighbor tends to think that what’s mine is also hers. I will literally see her walking around campus clothed in my attire. It’s not even so much the fact that she doesn’t ask to borrow my things that bothers me, but the fact that she completely fails to return my belongings that irritates me. Because she uses my things without asking, I can only wonder what is missing from my closet and drawers. This neighbor is a dear friend of mine, so any sort of intervention to collect my belongings is not an option. While I have the patience to wait until the end of the semester to get my belongings back, I just wish that people were more conscientious of how their failure to return other’s items is not only a nuisance but also a form of disrespect.