the most questionable part of the attitude you describe is the construction of a self-image based on external validation instead of intrinsic authenticity. i'm sure even kafka had an ego and enjoyed the attention he got through his writing and maybe even had some literary heros but i would guess that the level of his infatuation was significantly lower than that of many people having grown up with social media. it just messes with one's personality if it is the result of reinforcement learning based on likes.