"Main Character Syndrome" is the New Narcissism

How TikTok’s “Main Character Syndrome” Is Rewiring Gen Z Identity – From Self-Care Aesthetics to Narcissistic Performance Loops

Main Character Syndrome (MCS) describes the increasing tendency—particularly among members of Generation Z—to construe and perform one’s life narrative as though one were the central protagonist in a continual, unfolding drama. In an environment dominated by platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, this phenomenon emerges from a convergence of technological affordances (constant visibility, endless feedback loops) and developmental processes unique to late adolescence and early adulthood. By framing everyday actions—from routine self‐care to casual social interactions—as “scenes” worthy of documentation and approval, individuals reinforce a heightened self‐focus that both reflects and exacerbates broader shifts in identity formation, self‐esteem, and mental health.

Building on Hendarso, Anggraini, and Taqwa’s (2023) findings, we can see TikTok’s recommendation engine as more than a neutral pipeline for content—it actively scaffolds a performative environment in which self‐presentation skills become the primary currency. By privileging videos that conform to pushing aesthetic templates (e.g., rapid‐cut edits, trending sound bites, “glow up” transformations), the algorithm both rewards and teaches users to refine on‐camera personas. Each viral clip not only accrues “likes” and shares but also signals to creators which facets of their identity are deemed most marketable. Over time, college‐aged users internalize this metric‐driven feedback: a high “like” count comes to signify personal worth, whereas a muted response is interpreted as a deficit in one’s social desirability (Hendarso et al., pp. 645–46). This dynamic creates a compulsion to iterate on content style and substance—studies report that many students spend several hours per week editing, caption‐crafting, and testing new audiovisual techniques, all in pursuit of the next engagement spike.

Lerić and Husić’s (2024) work sheds light on how this cycle deepens narcissistic tendencies by tracing it through a classic behavioral lens. Their analysis draws attention to two intertwined dynamics that work in tandem. On one hand, the unpredictable rhythm of social media rewards—where “likes” arrive sporadically—amplifies dopamine responses, making each notification feel sharper, more potent than the last. On the other, the very design of user interfaces encourages a kind of self-mirroring, pushing individuals to see themselves from a third-person viewpoint, one that subtly inflates their own significance. Caught within this feedback loop, users find their self-presentations feeding into their self-perceptions, while the increasingly magnified image they see drives them to craft ever more elaborate performances, embedding narcissistic patterns even deeper into the fabric of everyday digital life.

Main Character Syndrome (MCS) does more than simply fuel narcissistic impulses; it quietly reconfigures the very way identity takes shape. As Maíz‐Arévalo (2022) observes, the influence of social media has turned identity into a continuous act of performance, one that demands constant adjustment and recalibration based on the shifting gaze of an invisible audience (p. 49). For Generation Z, who have come of age in a world saturated with these platforms, this kind of performance no longer feels like an act at all—it slips seamlessly into everyday life, until the line between the online self and the offline one begins to disappear. What emerges is not a fractured identity, but a new, mediated version of the self, one that blurs authenticity and performance so thoroughly that efforts to hold onto a stable, coherent sense of self grow increasingly complex, if not elusive.

The aesthetic elevation of the ordinary offers further evidence of Main Character Syndrome’s (MCS) cultural entrenchment. Hulley’s analysis of visual and textual storytelling on Instagram uncovers a clear pattern: a marked preference for stylized portrayals of everyday moments, reimagined as scenes deserving admiration (p. 41). This ritualization of the mundane fits seamlessly into the narrative logic of MCS, where individuals reinforce their protagonist roles by transforming routine experiences into curated, headline-worthy episodes. In doing so, users not only deepen the performative aspect of their identities but also contribute to a broader cultural expectation—one where life itself is increasingly filtered through an aspirational lens.

Yet the demand to uphold a carefully constructed self-narrative often comes at a steep psychological price. Cristadoro’s (2024) dissertation draws a direct line between prolonged engagement with idealized online selves and rising levels of anxiety, emotional fatigue, and a precarious sense of personal identity (pp. 34–35). In the constant effort to maintain narrative coherence and capture audience attention, authentic self-reflection frequently gives way to the demands of performance, pushing individuals to project rather than introspect. In more extreme instances, as Greene, Maloul, and Norling (2023) observe, the very fluidity that makes online identity so adaptable can spiral into fragmentation, echoing patterns seen in dissociative disorders and highlighting the profound risks that emerge when the boundaries between self and performance are allowed to erode completely.

To place Main Character Syndrome in a wider theoretical landscape, one could look at Joseph Campbell’s monomyth, or “hero’s journey,” alongside Northrop Frye’s work on archetypal criticism. Campbell (1949) suggests that humans are naturally inclined to frame their lives through narrative archetypes, imagining themselves as protagonists navigating trials and transformations. Social media accelerates this impulse by offering tools that allow users to script, revise, and broadcast their personal “journeys” to an ever-expanding audience, democratizing myth-making while often stripping away the ethical and redemptive core that characterized traditional narratives. Similarly, Frye (1957) shows how mythic status emerges through story, positioning digital platforms as modern stages where the mundane acquires symbolic weight and everyday life is recast with a sense of epic resonance.

Confronting the challenges posed by Main Character Syndrome calls for a layered, multifaceted response. Uram and Kocur (2023) argue that fostering self-compassion alongside critical media literacy can help counteract the cycles of comparison and objectification fueled by social media use (p. 15). In parallel, Fedorov et al. (2022) advocate for integrating curricular initiatives that dissect the mechanisms of persuasive digital storytelling, empowering Generation Z with the analytical skills needed to navigate—and eventually move beyond—the allure of “main character” narratives (p. 104). Through such combined efforts, there lies the potential to restore authenticity to self-expression and to nurture more resilient forms of identity, ones that embrace both the depth of individual experience and the intricate realities of collective life.

Main Character Syndrome goes beyond simple narcissism—it reflects a deeper shift in how people construct and perform their identities in the digital age. At its core, this behavior is linked to a long-standing human tendency to create narratives about ourselves. What’s changed is the scale and visibility of those narratives, especially through social media platforms that blur the line between authenticity and performance. Over time, this can lead to emotional exhaustion and a fragile sense of self, as individuals struggle to maintain a curated image that may not reflect their reality. However, this isn’t an entirely negative development. By practicing self-compassion, critically evaluating the media we consume, and engaging in honest self-reflection, it’s possible to counteract the more harmful effects of online identity crafting. Doing so can lead to more authentic self-expression and help reconnect us with the shared, meaningful aspects of being human.

Works Cited

Anggraini, T. V., Y. Hendarso, and R. Taqwa. “Self-existence and Narcissistic Behavior (Generation Z Student) at Indo Global Mandiri University, Palembang City in TikTok.” Daengku: Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences Innovation, vol. 3, no. 3, 2023, pp. 643–654. https://jurnal.ahmar.id/index.php/daengku/article/download/1936/1360.

Campbell, Joseph. The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Princeton University Press, 1949.

Cristadoro, K. Identifying Personality Factors of Female Adolescents Most Susceptible to Anxiety and Addiction to Social Media. Doctoral dissertation, Winona State University, 2025. https://openriver.winona.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1022&context=educationedddissertations.

Fedorov, A., et al. “International Journal of Media and Information Literacy.” International Journal of Media and Information Literacy, vol. 7, no. 2, 2022, pp. 101–110. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/366167527.

Frye, Northrop. Anatomy of Criticism: Four Essays. Princeton University Press, 1957.

Greene, A. K., E. K. Maloul, and H. N. Norling. “Systems and Selves: An Exploratory Examination of Dissociative Identity Disorder on TikTok.” Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 2023. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2023-70225-001.

Gutiérrez Pizarro, M. “Use of Psy Discourse on the Popular Vernacular: A Recontextualization Analysis on TikTok.” DiVA Portal, 2022. https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1736239/FULLTEXT02.

Hulley, J. D. Self-expression through Rose-Colored Screens: A Visual and Textual Analysis of Romanticization on Social Media. Master’s thesis, San Diego State University, 2023. https://digitalcollections.sdsu.edu/do/5c824b8b-61ff-459d-a50d-87da1ba85222/file/5190c0f0-8695-43db-8c32-8b68dda359b6/download/Hulley_sdsu_0220N_14333.pdf.

Lerić, L. I., and I. Husić. “Exploring the Association between Narcissistic Personality Disorder and Social Media Use.” Serbian Medical Journal, vol. 5, no. 4, 2024. https://beta.smj.rs/en/volume-5-no-4/exploring-the-association-between-narcissistic-personality-disorder-and-social-media-use.

Maíz-Arévalo, C. “The Power of Self-Presentation: Social Media and the Construction of Identity.” Digital Identities and Communication, Springer, 2023. https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/978-3-031-52931-3.pdf.

Soyudoğan, M., and R. H. Abdalli. “Sympathizing with Gen-Z: Reflections of Social Media Culture in TikTok.” Gaziantep University Journal of Social Sciences, vol. 22, no. 2, 2023, pp. 800–814. https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/3318791.

Uram, P., and D. J. Kocur. “Social Media: Does It Always Hurt? Self-Compassion and Narcissism as Mediators of Social Media's Predicting Effect on Self-Esteem and Body Image.” Polish Psychological Bulletin, vol. 55, no. 1, 2024, pp. 12–21. https://opus.us.edu.pl/docstore/download/USLdb9d46cd32174ee9bf4b6d53a66b6519/Social_media_Does_it_always_hurt.pdf.