Everywhere I turn, all I see is likes and followers. Clicking likes below a post is an easy way to let people know you enjoy a post without making a comment. Followers are people who subscribe to receiving your information possibly because they support or admire you or perhaps just to keep tabs on you (precisely why I follow Trey Songz – I need to know what the hell he is up to 🙂 ). I believe the concept of likes and followers is a pretty good one but also a potentially damaging invention. I’ll focus on it’s negative power today. We click ‘likes’ just because it’s his or her post. We also click on them to show our approval. We click on them because we connect to the author. We don’t click on them at times even though we love them (for reasons known to ourselves perhaps out of jealousy, out of competition, out of ‘they never like my images so why like theirs’)I remember a month or so ago, a friend said to me ‘I followed her (i.e. she followed another friend on instagram) but I don’t know why she didn’t follow me back’. I immediately thought to myself ‘Really, It is not that serious (i.e. it doesn’t matter, who cares?). I remember saying to her, imagine you had a billion followers but I ask you this, imagine you were stranded in the middle of an island somewhere remote in need of urgent help, how many of those followers would come through for you if you asked?? I told her that the ones that would come through were her true followers. I feel at times we give too much power to social media than it deserves. We forget for a second too long our reality and the substance of what matters. Don’t get me wrong, I for one think social media has so many positives if used right.
The lessons for today are pretty simple. One is that we shouldn’t let our emotions, behaviours and feelings be driven so much by simple actions that take a milli-second to make, little actions that at times give little substance. The other is that if you feel there is something you want to share to the world, share it LOUD, don’t hold back because you do not ha
The problem of why so many are follower hungry is because they associate many followers to being more popular, more desirable or even cooler. It’s a competition when you think of it. Many don’t realize the foot prints they leave when they post the wrong picture or comment all in the name of a few more likes. TBH it’s an escape 4 many. Not many are as beautiful, or Sexy or as cool in person as their page would suggest. Great read Funke!
I definitely see why its an escape for most people….but we really need to be reminded how (however cliche it may sound) what matters is truly what’s within us rather than what the world sells to us