My megaphone is bigger than your's

When I saw this meme, I had to post it. There is no question that social media has altered the dynamics of discourse in society. Anybody with a social media account can share their opinions with the world. People often assert that their personal opinions on subjects are of equal value to those of experts. Indeed, there is plenty of research from psychologists that associates social media use with a rise in narcissism.

I have encountered this directly, especially in debating contentious social, religious, or political issues, or a combination of them. I also frequently found that when I reference the work of an expert with a proven and sound understanding of a topic, they respond by dismissing or slandering their character. This is where the narcissism comes in, when someone responds emotively, claiming that their personal experience of an issue is somehow a strong counter argument.

Please don't misunderstand me. I don't want to sound elitist, and suggest that the average quiet Australian should not get involved in discussing these issues. I simply suggest that it is a good rule to not express opinions on issues you don't understand properly. If you don't understand the issue properly, keep your mouth shut. That means that I'll leave it to others to find solutions to the problem of social media narcissism.

https://scholar.google.com.au/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0,5&as_vis=1&q=%22social+media%22++narcissism&scisbd=1