YouTube as a source of information on narcissism: self-diagnosis and labeling

This study aims to examine videos about narcissism and narcissistic individuals published on YouTube as sources of information. By analyzing video content and user comments, the study investigates individuals’ tendencies toward self-diagnosis and labeling others as narcissists. 150 videos identified through YouTube searches using the keywords “Narcissism” and “Narcissist” were examined, and 40,860 user comments posted on the 15 most-viewed videos were analyzed. Adopting a mixed-methods approach, this study employed both quantitative and qualitative analytical techniques to evaluate the videos and user comments. The findings achieved in this study indicate that the contents predominantly focus on the manipulative behaviors of narcissists, that psychology-themed channels create the largest portion of such content, and that the highest number of uploads was made in 2021. Furthermore, relationship and marriage counselors constituted the largest group of information providers, whereas most videos did not cite academic sources. Spouses and romantic partners were the individuals most frequently identified as narcissists. Overall, the findings suggest that YouTube has become an important source of information on narcissism; however, user comments revealed that narcissism-related content is associated more frequently with the labeling of others as narcissists than with self-diagnosis.