Ricky Gervais says social media breeds ‘uber narcissism’

Ricky Gervais says social media breeds ‘uber narcissism’ and is fooling an entire generation that getting Instagram likes makes their lives worthwhile

  • Ricky Gervais made the comments on Fearne Cotton’s ‘Happy Place’ podcast 
  • He urged followers not to be downhearted by seemingly perfect influence lives 
  • Gervais told Fearne: ‘You know what, everyone just do what you like’ 

Ricky Gervais has said social media fuels ‘uber narcissism’ and makes people believe that getting ‘likes’ is more important than doing something of value.  

The BAFTA and Golden Globe winning actor, who has 14 million Twitter followers, said a whole generation have mistaken being popular on social media for being a worthwhile person.

The creator of Extras and the Office criticised ‘influencers’ for hiring private planes for a day and making other people feel bad about their lives. 

Speaking on Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place Podcast, he said: ‘It [social media] is like being able to read every toilet wall at once.

Ricky Gervais has said social media fuels ‘uber narcissism’ and makes people believe that getting ‘likes’ is more important than doing something of value

‘There’s a new form of narcissism, there is an uber narcissism and that’s because like breeds like.

‘You see these people who have worked out, and they have their shirt off, and they are on a private plane that they have hired for a day.

‘They make people think ”I’m not achieving anything. I need to work out and get a plane”.

‘It’s not true – you know what, everyone just do what you like.’

He also argued that TV shows nowadays often patronise their audience because they are too worried about offending people. 

The 56-year-old, whose latest Netflix series After Life has just returned for its second season, said a whole generation have mistaken ‘narcissism for worth.’

He said: ‘You have to have worth, if you have to tick all the boxes of the meaning of life, worth would certainly be near the top.

‘But people have mistaken narcissism for worth. They have mistaken loving yourself for no reason, as being as good as loving yourself for a good reason.

‘You should love yourself because you have done good things and you are a good moral person, you put people before yourself, you leave the world a better place than you came into it.

He also argued that TV shows nowadays often patronise their audience because they are too worried about offending people

He also argued that TV shows nowadays often patronise their audience because they are too worried about offending people

‘All those things, those are the reasons to love yourself. Just taking a picture of yourself and putting it out there and getting likes, that’s no reason to love yourself.

‘It’s a whole generation that have made that mistake – you know there are people taking selfies at Auschwitz.’

The controversial comedian, who hosted the Golden Globes this year but was criticised for being ‘too vulgar’ said people had become used to being patronised.

He said: ‘I think people are used to being patronised and there’s no need – who are we to guess what people at home can take?

‘They can take anything they have heard worse language in their building site, and their canteen…

‘Just because you are offended it doesn’t mean you are right. Some people are offended by equality. We have to look at why someone is offended, why someone hates you.’

The BAFTA and Golden Globe winning actor, who has 14 million Twitter followers, made the comments on Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place podcast

The stand-up comedian also spoke about the time he was called out by a Twitter user for a joke he made about nut allergies.

He said: ‘I did a routine on Jimmy Fallon about nut allergies.

‘The next day on Twitter someone said ”how dare you joke about nut allergies”. She was tagging NBC and Jimmy Fallon.

‘She then sent me a message saying- you should never joke about food allergies. I just thought that was such an arrogant thing to say the routine wasn’t true, she doesn’t know me.

‘I said ”I joke about Aids, cancer, famine, and the holocaust – and you are telling me I shouldn’t joke about food allergies?”

‘She sent back – ”yes but the holocaust didn’t kill children”.’