Based on personal experience, I have to recognize some grain of truth in this piece reporting on narcissism among Gen Y college students.

The Narcissistic Personality Inventory asks students to react to such statements as: "If I ruled the world, it would be a better place," "I think I am a special person" and "I like to be the center of attention."

The study found that almost two-thirds of recent college students had narcissism scores that were above the average 1982 score. Thirty percent more college students showed elevated narcissism in 2006 than in 1982.

The authors end up tarring YouTube and MySpace with the same brush, which at first struck me as specious, but is now making me wonder. What are the connections between self-made media and self-promotion? The study also "seek[s] to counter theories that current college students are more civic-minded and involved in volunteer activities than their predecessors." So, that makes me wonder about the oft-applied "civic" label that goes with social software activities. Are there ways in which the label masks ulterior motives or projects a kind of optimisim that needs questioning?

If nothing else, the piece makes me want to think further about the links between the physical and online social activities of today. Read to the end to get to this posting's subject line.