Narcissism lite
Posted by Dan on Oct 10th, 2009
2009
Oct 10
Narcissism: when one grows too old to believe in one’s uniqueness, one falls in love with one’s complexity (John Fowles)
I’m reading The Ego Boom, by Steve Maich and Lianne George. Has it really been 30 years since Christopher Lasch’s The Culture of Narcissism? Maich and George bring the narcissism theme up to date.
Information technology makes possible mass customization, which enables an illusory sort of narcissism. Everyone is special, so everyone deserves a customized coffee or a customized burger. We passively select from a menu of choices designed by someone else, and gain the illusion of having done something creative.