What is there to “like”? A few social networking theories
It seems to have been around for several years, but Facebook’s infamous ‘like‘ button has only been launched a little more than two years ago. Since then the verb “to like” has never been the same. What makes the button interesting is the way it is ultimately perceived. Obviously, people give it a variety of meanings and not all of them coincide, depriving the button of a universal significance.
An example is that of reporting catastrophes or negative news as either a personal “what are you doing right now” kind of status or shared news link, and receiving ‘likes‘ afterwards. This means the button is, for someone, a way of saying “I’m here and I’ve read what you’ve written, whether it’s positive or negative” therefore forgetting they “liked it“.
In a way, the button can be seen as a compromise between showing someone’s presence on that platform, but not as much as commenting. Should it be compared to real life situations, the “like” could be compared with an arm wave, or a quick “hi” as you see someone you know walking in the streets, whereas “commenting” on a status is comparable to stopping by and sharing a few words with someone you’ve just bumped into.
Of course, such metaphors are always implemented when one talks about social networking and Facebook in particular. Why? Because Facebook, like no other, has tried and to some extents succeeded in packing up our feelings and the way we see the concrete world into a strong visual impact for the digital dimension. So much of the real world has been put into social networking, that the other way around was bound to take place, though most don’t even notice!
When someone’s out with their friends, why do they feel the urge to “tweet” something instead of sharing whatever happens with their friends? The aforementioned visual impact is a key element. Seeing your thought written gives you importance, sharing it with others, people who are not there with you, makes you feel like your thoughts can reach anyone, anywhere, anytime. Another ego boost.
The ultimate ego boost is the fact that “likes” and comments are another tangible (though it sounds weird, talking about the digital world) souvenir of whatever you’re going through. Think a photograph and multiply its effect by thousand, with audio, video, text and comments completing the memory you want to record.
Because I think ultimately, this is the social networking trick. It’s a big box of memories that makes us feel a little more confident and less lonely. But we should also realise this is an instant feeling and also rather superficial. So, please, tweet less and cherish and celebrate your thoughts by sharing them with yourself and those around you.
12 Comments on “What is there to “like”? A few social networking theories”
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Like! Hihi. And Shared! ;p
Since WordPress introduced the Like button, I get far fewer comments than I used to. I started drafting a blog a while ago about this, but then it seemed a bit ungrateful, so it went no further. I didn’t even notice the Like button on FB until it was pointed out to me, but I don’t like FB much. What worries me is that people’s sense of self might begin to rely on the virtual likes of others. After all, how long does it take to ‘Like’ something?
Twitter, that is just @you, well, I am just not sure how I feel about that. Seems downright rude sometimes! It’s a curse isn’t it, that saying – may you live in interesting times…
i completely understand your perspective. Now that I think about it, your thoughts opens a much wider debate on the true meaning of Facebook vocabulary, but I think “friend” beats them all. It is the one word social networking is quite rearranging for our culture.
I think it would be important to make people aware of what a social networking site is for them. It might answer needs you’re not supposed to answer through a social networking site. It does give you an answer that makes you feel good, but it is temporary also and not at all true.
There should be more awareness. Right
I find it hard to think of Facebook as “a big box of memories.” Like all social media, it’s just another way for individuals to impose their thoughts on the world (I accept that blogging is much the same thing). You post a comment when you have the right words to say because you know people will be reading it. Social networking sites are public spaces on which people try to impose their private thoughts and opinions because they want the world to “like” them. Maybe this is overly cynical….
No, I don’t think you’re necessarily too cynical. It definitely is one important perspective on the analysis of this. I meant that, beyond having a public space open for imposing their personality and see who likes them or not, the contemporary man also sees this as a way of ‘freezing’ their thoughts in a chronology of events, like a book or perhaps a movie (better parallel, in fact. with all the reality tv shows around us) so that people both feel a boost in their ego and they can be able to track it in their history.
I’m not taking myself out of this analysis, of course. It just seems right to ‘overthink’ whatever we’re inclined to do without noticing in our social networking routines.
Shared this on twitter.
Thank you!
Great post!
You highlighted here some important aspects related to social networking.
Surely people should be more aware of what a social network really offers them.
In my point of view and according to my experience as a ‘facebook’ user, social networking reflects the way you are in “real life”. Whether you’re superficial, vain, a “friends’ collector”, someone very popular who has no friends at all, etc etc etc. And I kind of feel sorry for them: collecting friends is also a way of self- affirmation and of feeling “I’m not alone.” And I’m quite sure they don’t even know most people they added to their friends’ list, nor they’ll ever get in touch with them.
Apart from that… the usage of the noun “friend” in all these situations makes me a bit angry… How can one have 2000 friends?!
Social networking can be both good and bad. It depends on the way you use it. I belong to those people (maybe I’m getting old… but then I’ve always been old, ’cause I’ve always thought like this) who give anything for a nice talk, a long conversation… Before, during and after dinner time is perfect! However I do not join people simply not to be alone. No way!
I don’t think people try to impose their ideas, neither on facebook, nor on wordpress. At least I don’t. I share them and most of the times nobody reads them. They seem to be far too boring for some of my reduced number of friends. Poetry is not easy, I know…I guess there’s nothing wrong with sharing. Those who don’t agree with what I think are free to express themselves and criticize me. I even thank them for that!!!
Thanks for this!
Love,
C.
Celeste, thank you for commenting. I’m absolutely with you on this. I also feel “old” in the same way you do. However, I’d rather say we’re particularly interested in the real thing because we’ve always given it the value it deserves.
I think everybody is allowed to go through the phase of “I feel less lonely with Facebook”, but it is only if you have a strong power of insight and you know yourself and your past and your needs, it is only then that you know Facebook and similar websites cannot answer your needs the way you really want them to be answered. So you still use these sites, BUT you take them for what they are, you are AWARE. This can be healthy, this can be constructive.
Once one knows how something work, you can master that thing, you can get the best out of it.
By the way, your blog is great and you’re right saying you still post no matter what. I would not write this blog if it weren’t for my passion. My passion is writing about whatever’s haunting my mind or just share my questions or the researches I come up with, out of curiosity.
I love this post! (Even better than ‘Liking’ it.)
I work with a lot of young people who have no clue as to how social media is changing the world for them. Email considered slow, an actual phone call is drudgery, and please don’t ask them to hand write a note if you’re expecting full words and proper punctuation. Most assume you want to know all of their thoughts, as the thought is happening, all of the time. It all makes me a little afraid for their future.
I completely understand your point, and I’m glad you brought in your experience as example.
See, I think that the “click” thing (I’m going to have to write a piece on this) is making things harder for us as individuals in this society. Technology makes everything so comfortable, and more importantly, so FAST, that we’re now seeing some things as slow (but they are not!)
If you’re aware of that, you can work around these effects, if you aren’t… you can’t! You just suffer that.
There’s also a psychological effect (the most dangerous I think) that mainly affects younger generations. The “click” theory (I-click-so-I-get-things-instantly) will somehow make these people frustrated by the non-instant results of anything in real life. It’s an illusion that is meant to be broken. This could inevitably lead them back to technology in search for answers (but life is elsewhere).
That’s my point!