Being liked

Although I decided to focus on my blog rather than social media I’m still getting sucked into Twitter and Facebook. I post links to my writing there because otherwise few people would see what I write. I then become too interested in whether or not people have clicked “like” on what I have written. I then feel a subtle pressure to write differently, or just share pictures of Alby, to get more response. To get more likes. I start to worry if people “like” me!

But, as I’ve always said, my blog posts are mostly memos to self. They are for me to react to the world around me and to see those reactions placed before me for inspection. Yes inspection by others but mostly by me. Being concerned about whether or not people like what I have written affects how I write.

I guess this process mirrors our struggles to identify our true selves in the rest of our lives. The draw of relationship becomes pressure to conform.

Can we know ourselves without relationship? Can we truly be ourselves if it becomes too important?

8 thoughts on “Being liked”

  1. I have the same issue. I’ve been writing consistently every day on my blog this year and at times, there are blog posts I share on Twitter and others I don’t. I don’t use Facebook or Instagram or any others except Twitter, YouTube and my blog. I know that Twitter has drastically reduced. I hardly get any reactions, likes, or shares of my posts but I think it’s because people actually aren’t interested. Or, it’s not worth sharing after all, I’m just writing my thoughts as opposed to any valuable information. I’m some way, the less traction on Twitter is now making me rethink about even using it. A week ago I experimented with a Private Account but unfortunately, I like to embed tweets into my blog posts and that meant I couldn’t use them or search for old tweets! Back to public Twitter.

    I need to overcome this feeling that I need to have likes or comments but the more it’s not happening, the more I realise that it’s pointless to share them anyway. I should just use my blog and be happy with it – or be surprised out of the blue when someone says, “thank you for your posts!”

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    1. Yeah Twitter is very ephemeral. If people don’t see and react to your posts in a short window they might as well not be there.

      And yes, I inch ever closer to just focussing on my blog and those who connect here.

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  2. Best thing about The Obvious? — you always ask great questions. I’m trying to learn to do that more. It will, of course, require a complete blog post of my own just to cogitate on those questions.

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