I’m Not Cool
I recently joined Instagram and a phenomenon that has baffled me for the past several years runs rampant on yet another social media website. Aside from being utterly confused by it, I’m throwing in my towel and openly admitting: I’m not cool!
The “cool” people are the ones with a whole bunch of followers but who don’t follow anyone back.
They’re the ones with over a 100 likes on a single photo, plus comments, yet manage to not have “any time” to favorite a tweet or like even just one person’s comment.
Or worse, they are a ‘friend’ whom you’ve known for years - you may have even gone on vacation with them - and yet, for some reason, he/she ignores you when you comment/like/retweet/favorite because they’ve assessed their ‘cool factor’ and you don’t measure up.
I don’t get it. And I’m over it.
In a digital age like today - where connecting with someone in a meaningful way can be as easy as clicking a “Like” button - people are still choosing to not do it at all. And the key term here is “At All.” It’s a problem.
What’s worse is our society literally celebrates those who ignore people. There was a television show created on the basis that a person managed to create an account with over 1 million followers and glorified the fact that the creator didn’t follow anyone back.
I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. The more of an a**hole you are to people, the more of a flock you acquire. I’ve seen it in high school. I’m surrounded by it in business. I just abhor it in my personal life. Especially when it’s so blatant.
I must put a disclaimer here - because already, I can feel people rushing to my own accounts and seeing just how much I walk my talk. And I’ll be honest, I don’t follow everyone who follows me. I don’t like every comment I receive. I don’t answer every question I get asked. And I don’t favorite every picture that pops up in my feed. But I will say: I follow plenty. I comment frequently. I answer enough. And I favorite whatever resonates with me.
I don’t have time - nor the conscience - to absorb all the good people have given me, whether it’s a comment, a like, a retweet/share/favorite and not at the very least acknowledge I’ve received some of it.
I don’t have a trillion followers. I don’t get a gazillion likes. But I get enough to know that other people have found something I shared interesting enough - if even for a moment - that they hit a like button or hell, maybe even took the time to comment. And I’ve gotta tell you, it means a lot. And not in that transactional/meaningless/businessman type of way as if I’m getting something out of you because you inflated my ego - but in the: Hey, I appreciate you did that. Just wanna let you know - type of way.
Everyone wants to be noticed. Everyone wants someone to listen at some point.
All I’m saying is if you’re the douche who blatantly ignores your own friends because you’re trying to up your “cool factor” - Knock it off. You look like and a**hole. And everybody sees it.
Photo by Sara Kurfeß on Unsplash