Social commentators often decry the rise of nascent narcissism within American culture. Each passing generation since the Baby Boomers falls victim to such accusations. Skeptics claim that self involvement represents a normal adolescent phase; therefore, this character trait remains relatively static over time. Current research suggests that although this tendency appears to be a kind of teenage birthright, a demonstrable trend towards narcissism exists within popular song lyrics. For whatever reason, scholars chose to focus on us Millennials by studying compositions released between 1980-2007. Perhaps the time frame illustrates an age related bias on the part of the researchers? Nevertheless, the results should surprise no one given the rise of so-called "social media". This laughable term describes a complex web of virtual interaction or lack thereof wherein individuals feel compelled to broadcast their every thought in the hopes that someone else actually gives a shit.

Although younger people appear more involved in this cyber apparatus than their elders, the fact remains that the number of middle aged Facebook whores increases on a daily basis. Since Facebook epitomizes self aggrandizement, the demographic data points to factors beyond numeric age. Number crunching also nullifies the child-rearing hypothesis, which blames latent egocentrism on programs geared towards enhancing kids' self esteem. Baby Boomers certainly didn't get a gold star simply for breathing in school, yet they find themselves texting tweets from their Smartphones.

Few people seem prepared to accept that the technology fuels the epidemic of narcissism and the correlation between the two is hardly accidental. Since the researchers neglected to analyze lyrics from the 1960s, I have no evidence to support my assertion. I suspect that songs from the Civil Rights movement and the anti-war anthems convey a strong sense of collective identity. At the same time, these words were written before the advent of interwebs, when people weren't subjected to incessant distractions. The lost art of concentration produced profound art solely for the sake of primal expression. Today, expression only matters when it's commercially viable.

Indeed the corporate dominance of the music industry just so happens to coincide with that researchers' starting point. As a result, they didn't really study "art" so much as material that a record company executive deemed profitable. Focusing on the Billaboard 100 essentially renders the conclusion questionable on a fundamental level. By 2007, record companies learned how to mass produce hit songs with all the artistic significance of a chunk of ear wax. This isn't to say that the study illustrates nothing of value. On the contrary, it provides intriguing insight into an era of entirely manufactured entertainment and its offspring. We Millenials are nothing more than byproducts of this capitalistic system. Back in the 1960s, the government wished for complacent youth willing to do its bidding. Thankfully, corporate tycoons stepped in and made sure that wish came true. The result is a nation filled with automatons bumping Lady Gaga, living Richard Nixon's American dream.

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