Mirror or Megaphone?: How relationships between narcissism and social networking site use differ on Facebook and Twitter

•We examine the connection between narcissism and social networking site (SNS) use.•We differentiate among narcissism types, students/adults, and Facebook/Twitter.•We demonstrate how two different measures of use yield different results.•Facebook use is associated with exhibitionism for students but not for adults.•Twitter use is associated with Superiority for students while Facebook use is associated with Superiority for adults.

As research on the connection between narcissism and social networking site (SNS) use grows, definitions of SNS and measurements of their use continue to vary, leading to conflicting results. To improve understanding of the relationship between narcissism and SNS use, as well as the implications of differences in definition and measurement, we examine two ways of measuring Facebook and Twitter use by testing the hypothesis that SNS use is positively associated with narcissism. We also explore the relation between these types of SNS use and different components of narcissism within college students and general adult samples. Our findings suggest that for college students, posting on Twitter is associated with the Superiority component of narcissistic personality while Facebook posting is associated with the Exhibitionism component. Conversely, adults high in Superiority post on Facebook more rather than Twitter. For adults, Facebook and Twitter are both used more by those focused on their own appearances but not as a means of showing off, as is the case with college students. Given these differences, it is essential for future studies of SNS use and personality traits to distinguish between different types of SNS, different populations, and different types of use.