Are we Addicted to The Spotlight?

Have you ever imagined yourself as the main character in a Hollywood movie? Or maybe believe spotlights follow you everywhere you go? And does most of your vocabulary revolve around the word “I”? Then you may be suffering from “main character syndrome.”

What is Main Character Syndrome?

The term started gaining traction on social media at the beginning of the 2020s and has since grown into one of the biggest trends on sharing platforms.

Its core concept describes a tendency of individuals to place themselves in the spotlight of every action in their lives, no matter when or where. It is an inclination for people to view their lives as movies - and themselves - as the main characters. They often romanticize their ordinary lives in hopes of achieving main character status.

Although it includes the term “syndrome,” the main character concept is not a medical or psychological diagnosis, but rather a cultural term. Some experts, such as Professor Phil Reed from Swansea University and Professor Matthew Whoolery, part of the Psychology and Philosophy Department at AUBG, acknowledge that there are similarities with other popular psychological concepts, such as narcissism, selfishness, and self-obsession.

The Social Media Trend

Initially, the main character syndrome encouraged a lifestyle of self-reliance, self-focus, and personal growth. Exactly this soft aesthetic of one focusing on their own goals and ideas to grow and evolve is what made this concept viral in the first place.

However, the trend quickly grew into a toxic exaggeration. Self-importance replaced self-reliance, and selfishness - empathy. It is now a challenging concept of self-exaggeration and ignorance of others’ lives and perspectives.

It is important to acknowledge the role of social media platforms in relation to the growth of this syndrome. Prof. Whoolery emphasized that these platforms encourage people to think of themselves as main characters.

Jamaal Thompson also argues that social media platforms promote unrealistic expectations and false realities. They encourage people to present idealized versions of their lives online. This results in individuals creating unrealistic expectations about their own lives and comparing themselves to others.

“I think there's a lot of money to be made [by these platforms] on the anxiety, depression, self-obsession that's being created in this generation. It's a horrible thing,” says Prof. Whoolery.

Consequences for Self-Identity and Relationships

Main character syndrome blurs the line between self-perception and self-performance, creating a false sense of confidence. This is thoroughly explained in Anna Gotlib’s chapter about the Barbie movie and the concept of the syndrome. Self-identity gets lost in the “Hollywood performance” that the individual plays, and life becomes a deeply altered version of reality.

Prof. Whoolery suggests that individuals who perceive themselves as the central figure in their own narrative, while minimizing the significance of others’ experiences, may come to believe that they are the only truly meaningful entity in the world.

Rooted in subjective thinking and disregard for others, the syndrome weakens empathy and social connections and leads individuals to romanticize their lives in an unrealistic manner.

Any event, no matter the focus or context, gets interpreted as a “plot twist” in the main character’s story. Prof. Whoolery says: “Genuine confidence doesn't come from feeling like you're the main character or the most important person. It's a recognition that you're interconnected.”

The Recognition

Although initially driven by a positive movement, the concept of main character syndrome has become prevalent for the wrong reasons. It could be a positive concept, but as Prof. Whoolery acknowledges, “only if we could be genuinely self-critical about it.” He shared a valuable Taoist saying related to this topic: “Accept the reality that you're not important.”

And added, “This is a wonderful recognition - you're not the main character in anybody's story. And it's a wonderful thing to recognize. It's very freeing.” 

Edited by: Vasil Paskov & David Mitov

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