Give me a like – the limits of common sense

It is said that the average Facebook user spends about 20 minutes a day browsing posts. Are you sure? Watching people – walking, rushing through the streets of big cities, those bored in public transportation, or those behind the wheel of a car – it seems like at least half a day. We are constantly clicking on something, scrolling the screen up and down in anticipation of more news – maybe our old friend from the school bench is pregnant, or maybe the neighbor has bought a new car again, which we will then look at in pictures instead of looking out the window. Maybe Aunt Hania flew to Bali again, flaunting this fact online to present the state of her wallet to the whole world. Or have we arrived with new likes under the last post about buying a French bulldog that fits our image perfectly?

Likes, likes, likes. They flood us from everywhere. After Facebook, the time has come for other portals that replicate the philosophy of liking. On Instagram or Tumblr, the equivalent of a like are hearts, but their meaning remains the same. Nowadays, it’s a pretty good business – many bloggers and influencers have made a name for themselves just by the number of likes, which are like new and it’s a pretty profitable currency. It is on the reach and reaction of the audience of the post, or photo, that the amount of earnings of a given blogger depends. To put it brutally – it makes money on us – on our clicks on a red heart or a thumbs up. It may not literally cry out “give me a like” under every published post, but that is their message.

And when online popularity is linked to the opportunity to raise one’s social or property status, it is not difficult to cross the boundaries of common sense or good taste. A perfect example of this is people blindly following trends, publishing shocking or defiant photos. 

Photos uploaded to social media are increasingly shocking. Half-naked bodies, marijuana frames, it was time for something more. Now, to shock the audience you have to try really hard. And just like that, we’ve already had photos from the delivery room from Marta Maciejewska, operating under the pseudonym SuperStyler, or coverage after a breast reduction from Anna Skura (What Anna Wears).

After all, it doesn’t matter how, it’s important that they talk. In Martha’s case, her career took a turn for the better after the publication of her famous delivery photos. With only a few thousand followers, it has grown at an alarming rate. At the moment, she already has more than 160,000 active users following her on Instagram. It has become a brand in its own right. No more begging among friends to “give a like.” Today, companies are vying to work with her, offering horrendous rates for being tagged under a post. 

What happens on social media often affects our self-esteem. However, it can work both ways – it’s very easy to indulge in self-admiration, thanks to the large number of clicks, and it’s just as easy to multiply the number of complexes – like the girl from the subway. So the question arises: should a person’s worth really be counted in likes? Since I have fewer of them than my colleague, am I inferior? Or maybe I’m not there at all, following the principle: if you’re not online – you’re not there at all.

The truth is that behind the popularity of certain content are very often algorithms that determine the behavior of the audience (or at least significantly influence it). Another issue is to skillfully match the prevailing trends, beauty types, fashions, etc. There are also those who buy likes and followers. And that’s why it’s important to remember that the number of likes is not an indication of likability, beauty or intelligence. Their quantity is not indicative of what we have to say, or even of how good the quality of our posts is, how creative and original. And that’s why one’s online activity, unless it’s one’s job, should be treated with a pinch of salt – as an addition to one’s life, not a determinant of its value and quality. Let’s not get crazy – no one really cares about our likes, except ourselves. “Give me a like” is not an indicator.