Facebook, on the other hand, is a narcissist's dream. One can admit only one's own peer group, and talk endlessly about and post photos of the one subject that matters: Me! Best of all, nearly all comments on Facebook are supportive, and if not, people can be un-friended.

It's not just about teens, though. All of us who use mobile gadgets may be at risk. You're at Starbucks, and some loudmouth is standing in line blathering endlessly into a cell phone about a conversation he had with his doctor, oblivious to the annoyed customers around him. This scenario, repeated daily everywhere, is narcissism made real. The scene combines self-absorption with disregard for others. Before cell phones, everyone was forced to interact with and have some consideration for the people in the room. But the cell phone has become an enabler of narcissism in the same way that mini-bars are enablers for traveling alcoholics.

(And while we're all annoyed by cell phone chatterboxes, nobody is annoyed more than narcissists, who can't stand to hear conversations not about themselves.)

The cell phone wars express themselves in many ways. Theater, restaurant and mall owners want cell phone jammers, as do school principals. The public generally opposes the upgrading of airplanes and the rules that govern them to allow cell phone calls in flight. States nationwide are banning cell phone conversations and texting while driving.