Living for ‘likes’

There’s no way to deny it: Social media is a huge part of our daily lives. It is a useful tool to connect millions of individuals around the world and it’s great for sharing opinions, thoughts, frustrations, successes and well, to show off.

While it is true that social media allows for a lot of freedom, it is also true that far too many people use it the wrong way. There comes a point in which using (or rather, overusing) social media will make you anything but social.

There are those who are so obsessed with social media that they have forgotten the real social life.

Many insecure people fall into this trap and rely on social media to mask insecurities. In reality, however, doing this only magnifies insecurities.

We all know at least one person who turns to social media to constantly do one thing: complain about their failing marriage, obnoxious bosses, unruly children a bad hair day and anything in life.

Whether it’s about an ex (who they now have the audacity to call a dog. Forget that it’s just been a day after they kissed the ‘dog’) or school or just life in general, these people don’t hesitate to make a Facebook status or tweet about it like maybe five times a day.

If you’re upset or have a problem with something, not everyone in your social network needs to know about it. Making a status about it not only shows your insecurities, but also shows immaturity. Talk to someone close to you.

There are stalkers. Most of us are guilty of this, whether or not we choose to admit it. When someone turns to Facebook to obsess over people, it becomes an issue. I can’t tell you how many people I know who scroll through the same person’s profile pictures over and over again. You can spot stalkers by what they do: they will comment on picture you posted five years ago. Your Facebook page is meant to be your page. Stop stalking other people—it’s a waste of your time.

There are others who run their lives on social media. These are the people who check Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp so constantly that sustaining a normal conversation with them is impossible. They are so invested in the “social” world that lives in their screens that they neglect the real social world.

Well, there’s more to life than just checking and updating your feeds. It’s amazing how much someone can learn about you if you just put your phone down and actually talk to people.

Imagine this scenario: You post a photo or a status and every hour or more, you scroll through your list of people who liked whatever it is that you posted. It might sound a bit extreme, but people do it constantly.

There’s nothing wrong with posting things on social media, but there’s a lot wrong with obsessing over whether or not people approve of what you post. Who cares if someone “liked” your status or not? Who cares if you don’t get as many “likes” for your default photo as your friend? Who cares if no one retweeted your tweet?

Insecure people are always seeking some kind of approval for the things they do, but in reality, it shouldn’t matter if someone likes something you posted or not. Part of being confident means being able to post things without seeking approval. Stop caring about the “likes.” n