7 Weird Things Narcissists Do Online That Exposes Them Instantly

Narcissists love getting online. For them, the virtual world is another world where they can be whoever they want, and say whatever they want.

Most disturbingly, they can choose to treat others however they want, too.

What does that mean for you? It means you can fall victim to narcissistic abuse, even through a screen.

If you see anybody exert these 7 things, you are watching them expose themselves fully, as a narcissist.

#1 Multiple social media accounts

For every social media app out there, the narcissist will have an account. It doesn’t matter who the target audience is for, they will find a way to make it work.

When you think about it, it works this way:

If a narcissist has just one social media account, then they are only reaching a certain number of people.

If they have two, they’re reaching more. So if they have six, you can bet those numbers are growing and growing, and so are their interactions with them.

In that respect, you’ll see that narcissists just cannot help themselves. It’s like a huge, online playing field, where they can present themselves as the perfect person to whoever crosses their platforms.

Typically, narcissists will enjoy what they upload, and seek the validation and approval of strangers from all over the world.

You can’t tell me these kinds of people aren’t narcissists, because they very much are.

#2 Ghost you

As much as narcissists love to bait, hook and capture people online, there is another reason why virtually hunting out victims works so well for them.

Let me introduce you to the world of ghosting, which you’ve probably heard (and maybe even experienced) before.

Ghosting is where two people have gotten close, talking a lot on a regular basis, before one person closes the book, slamming it shut and blocking the other instantly and without explanation.

It’s hard to do that in person, right? And so narcissists take to the internet to meet people, before deciding to ghost them out of the blue.

And it’s painful, I’ve been told so many times by people on the receiving end, but it’s what narcissists do because it’s so easy.

I’m done with you, so I will pretend we never met.

Blocked. Boom. No accountability, no explanation.

Somebody with a lack of conscience that large has to be narcissistic.

#3 Showing off all the time

And I know you just want to say to them, “Are you kidding? Why do you feel the need to show off this much?”

The thing about narcissists is, if they aren’t showing off, they tend to blend into the background.

That’s why they draw so much attention to themselves all the time, they’re actually afraid that they won’t be noticed by people.

So in comes the huge talk about how much they earn, or how much their watch cost.

Maybe they’re showing off about a celebrity they met or somehow think they know.

Perhaps they’re showing off about their wedding, and the extravagance of it all.

Any opportunity to show off, and the narcissist will gladly count themselves in.

Who needs that? I can almost feel my own eyes rolling as I write this because they’re just so engrossed in their own worlds that nothing else seems to matter.

This is one strong way of knowing that you’re dealing with a narcissist, and the best part is, they expose themselves without any assistance from you.  

#4 Fishing for compliments

Certain posts or comments online can severely point to the reality that narcissists really do look anywhere for compliments.

This is one of those weird things they do, where as soon as you spot it, you can’t unsee any future attempts by them.

Rather troublingly, you’ll notice posts like this:

What does everybody think of my new hair?

New car: yay or nay?

Hair up, or hair down?

I’ve lost 10lbs! Does it show?

In real life, the compliment fishing will look the same, but will be worded totally differently. It’ll appear more like:

I don’t know if I’ve worn the right outfit. I’ve lost a little weight and had a moment of confidence, but now I’m not so sure…

I got this new car. I don’t know if it’s a little too much or not. What do you think?

They carve out opportunities for you to reply, wide-eyed…

Oh my God, no! You look fabulous! That dress totally suits you!

The car is amazing! I would love to be able to replace my piece of tin! It’s gorgeous.

Boom. They’ve got what they came for.

#5 Constantly sniffing out validatio

I’m not sure about my DIY skills, the wallpaper looks a little wonky.

“Oh I think you’re great at DIY. I could never even try to get it done as well as you.”

I don’t know if my book is good enough to be published.

“Don’t say that about your work. You’re a great writer, and it’s only a matter of time before you get recognized for it.”

Validation comes in thousands of different ways, and if a narcissist wants to sniff some of it out in the people they know, you can bet they will do it.

You might find it a shock to think that people with such big egos need it, but they actually need it the most. They just do a very good job of pretending they don’t.

Your validation pumps up their image and makes them feel like they’re brilliant. If anything, when a narcissist does this to me, I shrug and reply as unemotionally as I can. I refuse to give them what they want.

#6 Excessive name-dropping or tagging people

Okay, okay. We get it. You know somebody who knows somebody, who is a distant cousin of the gardener of Brad Pitt’s mailman.

Well done to you. Do you want a medal? Should we set up some kind of street party in your name?

Do you want a plaque on the Hollywood Walk of Fame?

It gets so boring when I see narcissists mention some tenuous claim to fame, and for me, I just think, “So what?” Who are these people, anyway? Just regular people who got lucky.

We don’t care. What impresses me is a good person with a kind nature. Try showing that off, instead.

#7 Cyberstalking

Nobody in their right mind should be obsessed with other people online.

I do understand and appreciate you might think, “I wonder whatever happened to my school friends from when I was seven?”

You might look them up and reach out, or just feel good knowing they’re living a good life.

This isn’t that.

Cyberstalking is tracking a person’s every move and update.

Each post, where they go, who they spend time with, what they look like, what they eat, where they work; everything is tracked and traced – and followed.

For what? To gain some kind of control over them. The narcissist is soon able to anticipate an update, or where they will tag themselves next.

This possessive nature comes through thick and fast with narcissists, who feel they are duty-bound to know everything and about everybody in the hope it gives them some kind of upper hand.

That is weird!