You can expand this to pleasure-seeking in general. Narcissism is central not just in the proliferation of identity markers but of micro-celebrities, micro-genr

You can expand this to pleasure-seeking in general. Narcissism is central not just in the proliferation of identity markers but of micro-celebrities, micro-genres, fandom communities, DTC + targeted advertising, a whole bunch of things that make it hard to thrive unless you treat yourself as the main character. There's that self-care meme with the text that goes something like "Sorry but I don't have the capacity to help you with your breakdown, can you reach out to someone who's emotionally available?". Advertising, the revolt against organized labor, and the financialization of the economy have all come together, knocked down a ton of load-bearing dominoes in our society, and interacted with the media landscape in a way that's eroded any tangible sense of community and made people incredibly self-interested, fearful, reactive, and unable to form an inner life that gives one the strength to give and accept real love and criticism