Self-Confidence in the "Likes" Culture
My generation seems to be basically breathing social media. Instagram photos, Facebook posts, Twitter tweets -- they all crave their share of those precious likes that some get within a second while for some seems to cost more.
The likes are becoming the artificial love one craves in larger quantities than even the real admiration of close friends. Is it not more precious to have people you value, or are attracted to, to give you a like in the form of a gesture or words of appreciation and love? One real compliment from a lover than thousands of likes from strangers or robot accounts?
Likes are becoming the fuel for an individual's confidence. Looking at Amalia Ulman, the newly known to be an artist and former instagirl. Having made an experiment of being one of the cliché Instagram famous girls with a collection of "the perfect life" photos she now declares to have done it all for the sake of art. So she is not another instagirl but an actual artist? After reading into her story, I learned that she only declared it is art after her Instagramism was ruining her reputation and wrecking her socially. I believe she simply was able to stop at the right time with an exceptional excuse.
Overall the addiction for likes is real and confidence is now dependent on this drug. No, I do not believe that confidence is something innate, but I do believe that we are born with a talent of some sort and we are in charge of building our own self-confidence. What I choose to build it with is definitely not likes. I want my confidence to be liberated and not tied up to something indefinite. Self confidence is strong once you yourself begin to like yourself and live daily not for the sake of the approval of others around you. Only once you begin to compromise with yourself can you begin to acquire real love, friends and appreciation.
At the end of the day, no matter who message last or receive a bedtime like from, you are going to sleep with the thoughts on your mind talking to you. Make them your closest friend.
