Although it seems that Facebook can be used by narcissists to fuel their inflated egos, Mehdizadeh stops short of proclaiming that excessive time spent on Facebook can turn regular users into narcissists. She also notes that social-networking sites might ultimately be found to have positive effects when used by people with low self-esteem or depression.

‘If individuals with lower self-esteem are more prone to using Facebook,’ she says, ‘the question becomes, “Can Facebook help raise self-esteem by allowing patients to talk to each other and help each other in a socially interactive environment?” I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing that people with low self-esteem use Facebook.’