Like, Comment And Reality

Yesterday I came across this interesting article “The Psychology of Social Media: Why We Like, Comment, and Share Online”. Though it was a bit lengthy but it was an engaging read and I was compelled to scroll down and read it till the end. Could you ever imagine there’s something like social media biology? I never even thought about it. Did you ever know why we like, comment and share online? Read this article to know all about it.

Somewhere in the article I read that “comments about you are a reflection of you to the consumer”. Appreciation kise nahin acha lagta lekin I always feel no matter how one thinks about how we are on social media but in reality we are quite different.

In the virtual world we are so sweet to everyone but we are who we are when we are home or when we are alone, how we are to our loved ones. Real world is so different. When someone comments something nice about my blog certainly it feels nice but I feel in my heart, that’s probably because they don’t know me. Here’s when we need to make this wonderful dua:

Allahumma-ja’lni khayran mima yadhunoon wa-ghfir li ma la ya’lamoon wa la tu’akhidhni bi ma yaquloon.

O Allah, make me better than what they think of me, and forgive me for what they do not know about me, and do not take me to account for what they say about me.

Binte Bashir via Canva

I find it so difficult to be who I am not and I dislike portraying myself and my thoughts falsely and every thing false and I have an aversion towards such people who pretend to be someone that is so different from who they really are. One should always be truthful but the irony is that Truth is always bitter and people often don’t like to hear the truth. Plato once said “No one is more hated than he who speaks the truth” but I don’t really mind. It might be heartbreaking for a few but I even don’t like false likes and false comments. Acha lage to like kariye na lage to aage badhiye aur humaare khayal se is mein humen ya kisi ko bura maanne ki koi baat nahin hai. At least you know the real worth of whatever you are posting or yourself and taking it positively for improving yourself.

But unfortunately log sachai zyada pasand nahin karte.

I simply can’t click that like button if the post doesn’t match my interests or if there’s something in the post that is different from my views. Saying so doesn’t mean that a post that I don’t like is a bad post it might be nice to someone else. It’s simply because everyone’s likes dislike are different and there’s no obligation on others to like what I like. You can choose something different. I feel that’s how it should be. Those who genuinely like your posts care enough to express their like by sending you at least a few words of appreciation and motivation warna like to yunhin har koi click kar hi deta hai.

Kai baar kisi ki post bohot zyada perfect nahin ho aur topic acha ho tab bhi like aur comment karna chaahiye kyon ke jahan tak ghalti ki baat hai to ghaltiyen to insaanon se hi hoti hain aur hum sab seekh hi rahe hain aur koi professional writers ya bloggers to hain nahin. After all we all need motivation aur har kaam aate aate hi aata hai. Aur Agar hum near to perfect hain tab bhi yehi soch kar chalna chaahiye ke hum sab seekh hi rahe hain. This attitude allows us to be humble and we are always ready to learn something.

I like constructive criticism in a polite manner that helps us to see our flaws, ponder over them and correct them warna na to khud ko koi khaami apne aap mein nazar aaegi nahin aur na hi wo khaami durust hogi. Humaare khayal se bande ko itna to dil bada rakhna chaahiye ke koi aapko koi negative comment kare to aap use positively len. Yahan phir ye hota hai ke hum asal zindagi mein aur virtual life mein bohot different react karte hain, bohot zyada different na bhi hon to kuch to farq hota hai. Virtual life ya social media mein to negative comment ko positively lenge lekin real life koi negative comment kare to dushman ban jaata hai (nek log aise nahin hote im talking about normal people like myself).

Yehi sab sochte sochte pata nahin kya kya dimaagh mein chalne laga aur ye sach jhoot aur bohot saari baaten soch kar blog delete karne hi waale the. Phir socha acha ek aad blog kar len aur phir ise delete kar denge. Ek GOODBYE blog shuru bhi kar chuke hain. Khair jab tak hain yahan tab tak hain aur jab tak hain tab tak to aap ko jhelna hi padenge ye blogs.

Isi baat par Hairat Allahabadi se inspire hokar abhi abhi ye sher dimaagh mein aaya hai mulaahiza farmaaiye:

Kab tak WordPress par hain kuch khabar nahin

Saamaan sau baras ka hai pal ki khabar nahin

In the end we must remember that these likes and dislikes are all virtual. It’s all virtual and if we take it as reality it might lead to serious depression and self esteem related issues.

Well, these are the rambling thought that came to my mind when I read that post about Psychology of social media. Baat shuru kahan hui aur kahan aake khatm hui. Aapke kya khayalaat hain is baare mein bataaiye zaroor. I would be glad to hear what you have to say regarding this.

Do Read more about Social media likes, comments and shares I’m sure it will be an eye opener.

The Psychology Of Social Media: Why We Like, Share And Comment Online

The psychology of a like: How social media is really affecting your brain

Comments and likes don’t portray reality

Drop That Selfie Lie, Start Living Again

Image credit: Unsplash

People are being driven to the ideals of perfection in the digital age, forgetting that we are inherently and deeply flawed and different from each other. Everyone is watching online and deriving a certain voyeuristic pleasure from our many antics.

We have been forced to look great, feel accomplished and tout our achievements listen to all and sundry who have the time to watch and listen to what we do. The mundane falls short on our trips torwards excellence online and the picture perfect helps highlight our strengths, even if that means going to great heights or lengths to get there with our smartphones that have higher definition cameras that can make reality disappear in a flash. 

We want to be like others and are being coerced to love the attention showered on us even if we are uncomfortable with living the imaginary life. 

We are ashamed to be in our skin or seek beyond measure to make people follow us on social media. We are removed from the present and do not realize the worth we bring to the real world and those around us.

There is pressure, we are easily ashamed and there is enduring guilt. Children face it from an early age. We are demanding and are relentless in our pursuit of attention which we believe will bring us long-tern happiness or short-lived joy. Flaws are not being forgiven. Failure could doom us. Everything has to be just right. Perfect, if you will. Nothing can go wrong.

Greatness is bestowed on us online and it comes easily, without the slog. Experience, talent and merit are discarded. They don’t count when looks and fake appeal make influencers out of wannabes.

We are fooled by gimmickery peddled by fools and are victims of propaganda paraded by despots and dictators. We blame the online life and social medium while failing to look deep within us. We are losing our children and their innocence as they seek instant fame on the social world they inhabit via their devices and gadget. They live parallel lives and we believe all is well with their world and ours.

We are selfish and push the selfie lie when we are called to be selfless. We are unforgiving of our frailties and tragedy awaits at every corner. It’s time to arise, awake and be wise to the ways of the real world while shedding our fake selves and avatars on social media. We are called to be human once again – to touch one another more and our smartphones less. Source: Khaleej Times, English newspaper in UAE

I read the above article in Khaleej Times last year and I felt the article really reflected my feelings, about how I have always felt about selfies. I don’t know why but somehow I don’t really like selfies. May be because I was born in a different time from now, a time when everything was so very different, a time when photos were so simple and real. They depicted the real moments we lives. Photos are all about capturing moments and beautiful memories but somewhere in this digital age we lost that touch of reality in our lives. I won’t say that there aren’t any good photos etc anymore but it’s all seems to be so made up, it doesn’t seem real all to me.

There was something like selfie but a bit different, we either had a tripod to keep the camera in steady or kept it elsewhere and clicked a picture of ourselves, that mostly happened in family photos at home when we all wanted to be in the frame at the same time and there was no one to take the photo.

Living in these times I too enjoy editing photos and videos only to some extent but there’s nothing like an unedited, beautiful photo that brings back golden memories.