What The Pronouns We Use Say About Us
Echo and Narcissus by John William Waterhouse, fine art painting, 1903, detail
Echo and Narcissus by John William Waterhouse, fine art painting, 1903, detail

Those who go looking for evidence of increasing self-absorption seem to find it everywhere these days. Inflated egos are apparently smiling in the selfies people snap, self-obsession woven into their compulsive online sharing. Even the tiniest language choices are revealing. First-person pronouns like "I" and "me" are crowding out "we" and "our" in all kinds of communication—from advertising copy to academic writing to newspaper articles to song lyrics.

The shift, some academics warn, is proof of narcissism run amok. It's popular to blame millennials, of course.

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