If Narcissus were alive today, he would not be kneeling beside a spring, gazing at his reflection in the water. He would have an official social media profile, professional photographs, a verification badge, a communications adviser, and detailed reports on his posts' reach. Every few minutes, he would check views, reactions, and new followers. He would probably also organise a panel discussion on authenticity.
His misfortune would no longer begin with a glance into the water. It would begin with opening an application.
The Greek myth of Narcissus tells the story of a young man who rejects others' affection and then falls in love with his own reflection. He cannot approach it, speak to it, or receive a response. The longer he looks, the further he withdraws from real life. Before him stands a perfect image, yet no genuine relationship exists within it.
In this respect, Narcissus appears remarkably contemporary.
Organisations today invest considerable resources in managing their public appearance. They carefully select words, photographs, colours, slogans, and visual settings. They publish stories about their achievements, social responsibility, employee satisfaction, and concern for the community. On their official profiles, everyone is smiling, every meeting is productive, every anniversary is ceremonial, and every new initiative represents an important step forward. The problem does not arise because an organisation wishes to present itself favourably. Reputation matters, and communicating one's achievements is entirely legitimate. The problem emerges when an organisation becomes so absorbed in its own image that it can no longer see the people around it.
At that point, the official profile becomes Narcissus's pool.
Echo Works in the Communications Department
Ovid's account of Narcissus is also Echo's story. She wishes to speak, but divine punishment has left her able only to repeat the final words someone else said. She cannot introduce her own subject, form a complete thought, or clearly express what she feels.
In a contemporary organisation, Echo might work in the communications department. She would receive a list of key messages, communication guidelines, and a document containing approved responses. To every question, she would repeat what management had already said. When employees raised concerns, she would provide them with the official statement. When users asked an uncomfortable question, she would thank them for their interest and direct them to the organisation's website.
The organisation would describe all of this as dialogue.
Many institutions maintain open communication channels, but that does not necessarily mean they listen. An organisation may have accounts on every major social network, contact forms, surveys, comment sections, and a public relations department, yet remain closed to anything that does not fit its predetermined image.
The essential question is not whether members of the public are permitted to write something. The question is whether their contributions can influence the organisation's understanding and behaviour.
If an organisation accepts only praise while treating criticism as an attack, communication becomes an organised celebration of its own reflection. The public is then assigned the role of Echo: it repeats, confirms, and applauds.
A Mirror That Counts Likes
Digital platforms have further refined Narcissus's mirror. Today, the mirror does more than display an image; it evaluates it immediately. Every post comes with the number of views, reactions, comments, and shares. Communication becomes a series of measurable indicators of attention.
These figures are useful. They can show whether a message has reached its intended audience and generated interest. However, reach is not synonymous with understanding, a reaction is not equivalent to trust, and visibility should not be confused with reputation.
A post may become viral because it is excellent, but it may also become viral because it is inappropriate. Many comments may indicate enthusiasm, confusion, or anger. Thousands of followers do not show that an organisation has built thousands of meaningful relationships. Sometimes they merely indicate that it has successfully attracted attention.
Narcissus also enjoyed undivided attention. The difficulty was that it was all directed toward himself.
Contemporary public relations therefore operates within a persistent contradiction. The profession is expected to build relationships, yet the number of posts, mentions, and media appearances often measures its success. Practitioners are expected to encourage dialogue, while simultaneously being asked to maintain control over the message. Organisations talk about authenticity, even as every detail of their public appearance is carefully rehearsed. They invite the public to engage in conversation while hoping that nobody will ask a question omitted from the briefing document.
The Most Attractive Version of Reality
Every organisation has the right to present its best side. No institution publishes photographs of a disordered office immediately after a failed meeting. Just as individuals select photographs in which they appear favourable, organisations choose moments that portray them as capable, responsible, and successful.
Nevertheless, a boundary exists between selecting a favourable image and constructing a false one.
When public messages no longer match actual organisational behaviour, public relations ceases to be the management of communication and becomes the maintenance of an illusion. Communication practitioners are then given an impossible task: they are expected to improve the image without changing the reality it reflects.
The mirror, however, is not responsible for the face.
No campaign can permanently compensate for poor service, unfair treatment of employees, or irresponsible conduct towards the community. Communication may temporarily redirect attention, soften public impressions, or offer an explanation. In the longer term, credibility depends on consistency between words and actions.
Narcissus's problem was not that his reflection was beautiful. His problem was that the reflection replaced a genuine relationship.
When Criticism Becomes Unwelcome
Narcissistic communication is particularly evident in an organisation's response to criticism. An organisation absorbed in its own image interprets every disagreement as a reputational threat. Rather than asking whether the criticism is justified, it first searches for a way to silence it, relativise it, or dismiss it as malicious.
Such organisations often speak extensively about openness while finding open questions extremely difficult to tolerate. They praise transparency but provide the public only with carefully selected information. They invite employees to express their opinions and subsequently remember who was excessively candid.
In healthy communication, criticism may be uncomfortable, but it can also be useful. It reveals aspects of reality that the official profile does not display. An organisation that genuinely listens does not have to accept every criticism. It must, however, examine it, verify its basis, and respond meaningfully.
Otherwise, it risks repeating Narcissus's fate: seeing only what it already wishes to see.
Public Relations Is Not a Cosmetic Service
Public relations is often misunderstood as the practice of making an organisation appear more attractive. According to this view, communication practitioners arrive after a problem has occurred to find more favourable language, a more appealing image, or a more acceptable explanation.
This type of public relations may keep the surface calm for a time. Beneath that surface, however, the problem continues to develop.
Serious public relations practice must communicate to the organisation what it may not wish to hear. A practitioner is not merely the organisation's voice to the public. The practitioner must also represent the public voice within the organisation. Professional value lies not only in the ability to formulate a persuasive message but also in the willingness to warn decision-makers when that message has no foundation in organisational reality.
This is the profession's more demanding dimension. Editing a social media post is easier than challenging a poor decision. Counting positive reactions is easier than explaining that public dissatisfaction is not simply a communication failure. Maintaining the reflection is easier than changing the behaviour visible within it.
The Profile May Be Official, but the Relationship Must Be Genuine
The myth of Narcissus does not suggest that every form of self-presentation is wrong. Recognition requires public visibility, just as understanding requires clear messages. Organisations need official profiles, communication strategies, and professionally designed content.
However, the official profile must not become the only place where an organisation encounters itself.
Effective communication begins when attention moves away from one's reflection and towards other people. This requires listening to unexpected questions, acknowledging mistakes that attractive language cannot conceal, and accepting that reputation does not belong exclusively to the organisation. Reputation emerges from others' experiences and assessments.
Narcissus might have had a million followers today. His photographs might have broken engagement records, while his communications team reported weekly growth in audience interaction. Nevertheless, he would have remained alone before the screen, captivated by an image incapable of sustaining a reciprocal relationship.
The central question for contemporary public relations may therefore be simple: do we use communication to see other people, or merely to examine how we appear in their eyes? An official profile may display the face of an organisation. Only a genuine willingness to listen reveals its character.