Social Media: Why Are Some People Addicted To 'Likes'?

For quite some time now, images have been shared on social media where people are injecting and snorting ‘Likes’. These images have been created to emphasise the fact that some people are hooked on receiving ‘Likes’ from others.
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And in the same way that a drug addict might not mind where their supply comes from; someone who is addicted to ‘Likes’ might not care where their supply comes from either. Ergo, it won’t matter if another friend gives them one or if a stranger does – it will still be the same.

One Approach

When someone has the need to receive as many ‘Likes’ as they possibly can, they can upload different pictures of themselves. This can be something that takes place throughout the day, with them being extremely fussy when it comes to the pictures that they actually upload.

It is then not going to be case of them taking a picture of themselves and then uploading; it will be a far more complex process than this. Going from the first step to the final step could take a matter of hours, not minutes.

A Part Time Job

So, even if uploading pictures online is not a way for them to earn a living, they could still spend a hell of a lot of time doing all this. There can be the time that they spend taking the ‘perfect’ image, and then there can be the time they spend editing the image that they do share.

The images that they share online can then look natural, but these images will be anything but natural. These images will be about as a natural as a piece of fruit that has been genetically modified.

A Damaging Effect

Other people can then see these images and end up experiencing negative thoughts and emotions. Someone like this could end up feeling down, and wonder why they don’t look as good as this person and/or why their life is not perfect like theirs.

If this person realised that the person they are looking at doesn’t actually look this way or that their life is not perfect, their mental and emotional state may begin to shift. Until they have this realisation, they will most likely continue to compare themselves and/or their life with a false image and/or life.

One Focus

Still, if someone is focused on doing what they can to get as many ‘Likes’ as possible’ they might not even think about the effect their behaviour may be having on other people. In the same way that a drug addict can steal money from a charity box in order to pay for more drugs, not caring about the impact this will have; they can also do whatever they can to get their fix of ‘Likes’, being completely oblivious to how their behaviour will be impacting others.

This is not to say that someone like this is heartless and is out to cause harm; it is just a natural consequence of them being so caught up in receiving positive feedback from others. It could be said that this is then tantamount to how if someone is looking in one direction, it won’t be possible for them to see what is taking place in another direction.

Another Problem

Along with their compulsive need to receive as many ‘Likes’ as they can, it can be even harder for them to handle the real world. This is the world where they can’t edit how they look or make out that their life is one big holiday.

Due to the positive feedback that they receive for the sanitized version of their life that they share online, they can come to believe that their real self is not enough. The only way that they are enough, then, is when they edit who they are.

More of the Same

Another person could then believe that they are really attractive, live the perfect life and are really popular, for instance, yet behind all this can be someone who feels trapped. This person will have gradually created their own prison.

To say that someone like this only believes that their real self is not enough due to the effect that social media has had on them, would most likely be a half-true. The fact that they looked towards social media for approval in the first place is likely to show that this was already an issue.

An Analogy

One way to look at this would be to imagine that one was sat on a seesaw, weighed down by their own negativity, and, through receiving ‘Likes’, it allowed them to rise up into the air. These ‘Likes’ are then going to be on the other end of the seesaw, thereby keeping them of off the ground.

What this can show is that one finds it hard to experience positive feelings, which is why they are emotionally dependent on others. There is also the chance that they haven’t got any real friends in their life either.

A Closer Look

If they had the ability to experience positive feelings and they had a number of fulfilling relationships, there would be no reason for them to be hooked on social media. Without these two components in place, social media will be used to fill the hole that is within them, so to speak.

What this may show is that their early years were a time when their needs were rarely, if ever, met, preventing them from being able to develop in the right way. They can find it hard to regulate their emotions, can carry a fair amount of shame, and feel uncomfortable opening up to others, among other things.

Awareness

If someone can see that they are addicted to receiving ‘Likes’, and they want to do something about this, they may need to reach out for external support. This is something that can be provided by the assistance of a therapist or a healer.