As a society, we have become immersed in social media, often to troubling extents. Almost everyone owns a smartphone and has at least one social media account. Yet the influx of social media has brought an obsessive culture that thrives on receiving likes. Likes are easy to give, and usually, easy to receive. Originally, the concept was created as a way to express positive feedback to something a friend has posted on social media. Yet the concept of “liking” something has become blown out of proportion as social media becomes increasingly mainstream.

Likes do not determine your worth. I’ll say it again. Likes do not determine your worth. We live in a society that is addicted to social media. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat are constantly being updated with tidbits of everybody’s daily life. However, what used to be casual sharing has become way more involved. On Twitter, people will think that their tweet is “successful” if they get a lot of favorites and retweets. This often brings users a sense of satisfaction. Instagram is no different. Users have become obsessed with the number of likes they receive on a picture. It’s almost as if a number of likes they receive directly correlates to the value of the picture. Of course, that is not the case. The reward system of “likes,” “shares,” and “retweets” has snowballed into a perverse form of validation that users actively seek. Some people will only upload a certain picture, status, or tweet in order to receive utility from the amount of likes they get. But a number of likes an Instagram picture receives really has nothing to do with how “worthy” that person or picture really is.

Unfortunately, while likes may not be a true indicator of one's popularity, success or worth, it has become a tool that can make or break a person's ego. If you get a lot of likes, you’ll feel great about yourself and gain confidence. But if you don’t, the results can be devastating to your self-esteem.

What everyone seems to forget is that Instagram has become a highlight reel of people’s lives. Most of the time, the content you see on Instagram has been curated to look a certain way. That candid you saw of girls laughing on the beach? It may not have actually been candid. The seemingly perfect selfies you see your friends uploading? Chances are they had to take a few of those in order to get the lighting and angle they desired, and maybe even use a filter. And the list goes on.

For example, on Sunday night when I’m in my pajamas with my hair up and no makeup on, I’m probably not looking my best. So when I’m sitting on my phone scrolling through my social media and I see countless Snapchats and Instagram pictures of my friends looking great and having a good time, I may start to compare myself to them. Yet in doing that, I’m actively comparing myself in pajamas to somebody else’s meticulously curated Instagram post. In reality, most people don’t look or feel their best in their pajamas. And that is completely normal.

So, next time you decide to scroll along on your phone, remember not to compare yourself to everyone else and the pictures they are posting. Most likely, their life isn’t nearly as picture perfect as it may appear on their social media.

And next time you post a picture, try not to care about the number of likes you receive. In reality, likes are virtually worthless, but you are not. The important part about posting a picture is the memory behind it, not the number of people double tapping it as they aimlessly scroll through Instagram.

You are worth more than your social media feed. And that is something that no amount of likes or retweets will ever be able to diminish.