They say acknowledging you have a problem is the first step to conquering addiction. Well, I’m here today to let you know I have a problem. I’m addicted to likes. And chances are, if you have even a minor presence on social media, you are too.
I encourage whoever finds themselves reading this article to sit down and take a moment for honest self-reflection. Say you post a picture on Instagram. How many times in the first few hours do you check to see how many of your friends have liked it? Ten? Twenty? Whatever the number, ask yourself why we check the success of our posts consistently until we are satisfied by the number we see. My hunch is that we are looking to see if our peers have approved of whatever small part of ourselves we’ve decided to share.
Growing up, I was always encouraged to do me. My parents pushed me to be a leader; not a follower and set my own social trends. If I look to assure myself that my audience has approved of the picture, status, tweet, or post (which is probably a lot more often then I would like to admit), I am becoming even more dangerously dependent on the approval of those around me. This nurtures a mindset that is focused on following social trends and capturing ourselves at the best possible moment. Not too often do I share myself deep into the Notebook with a pint of Ben and Jerry’s strapped to my face.
What is even more concerning about this addiction to “likes” on social media is that with each additional like, we are less and less satisfied by the success of our posts. We well never be content with the number we see and this unobtainable, unconscious goal, is going damage our self-perception in ways most psychologists have yet to explain.
The solution? There are a number of downloadable apps that change your social media settings and block the notification of who, how many, and when people like one of your posts. Now I don’t know about you, but I’m not quite ready to take that step. I encourage those who are addicted to likes to be conscious of our dependence on the statistical response from our peers.
Don’t let social media define who you are, your relationships with friends and peers, or opportunities and experiences you choose to share with others. Together we can revert social media back to the source in which we share ourselves with friends rather than fall servant to social trends and the addicting nature of likes.
