We’ve all done it. The like-check. Within 2.5 seconds of
posting a brilliant quip on social media, we are drawn to the gravitational
pull of virtual popularity. A dismal showing by our closest
people-we-haven’t-talked-to-for-20-years is like a kick to the seat. The more
disembodied thumbs ups, the more we value ourselves.
Facebook and its counterparts are good for many things.
Reality is not one of them. We all want to be valued. That is an essential part
of our human make-up. But translating a mouse click as a measure of self worth
is counteractive to true, genuine human connections.
My child is still adorable if her latest snapshot receives 2
or 200 accolades. My successes are cause for celebration no matter how
instantaneously I receive external congratulations. My family vacation was still a bucket of fun memory
making, even if the photos weren’t filtered and nobody looks at them. And I
still crave gratitude and appreciation beyond an icon. These realities are the
good stuff of life, whether they are shared or “liked”. I am as guilty as the
next person at being a “like-counter”, but my goal is to move away from needing
the reassurance of the virtual world, and instead, find value in immersing
myself in these moments and celebrating how they make me, and those around me,
feel.
