Mashable.com presents why "Facebook and Instagram should kill the Like button" with many detrimental cases that are driven out of the need for likes. Likes simulate the desire for attention and acceptance from the public which can create an unhealthy use of social media. Many take part in dangerous activities, or what unfortunately become trends to entice users. The article also mentions that the Like button has its way of making us passive and idle. Having to Like a post or a message rather than to invest time in starting a conversation is just simply easier. The potential long term effects of empty Liking can lead us to having a decreased life satisfaction.
Conversely, rather than "like a rat in a experiment, we feed our innate need to be noticed" as the article remarks; I believe there are good attributes to the Like Button. But, that can only be said with people who use social media moderately and maturely. There's a certain extent to how much we can handle the news, idolizing aesthetics, and terribly funny videos before we invest a significant amount of time in our lives on social media. What would happen if we removed the Like button? Would our lives be easier? How can we make social media no longer the center of our attention, or is it fine as it is already?
The like button can be a problem if people don't treat it responsibly. Removing it would lead to some benefits, but also to some negative results. Without likes people can feel more comfortable with posting things, but it can also lead to less effort needed as there is no incentive. It can also lead to some inappropriate material being shown along with the okay material which can lead to problems.
ReplyDeleteI don't think removing the like button will minimize the time spent on social media since new posts will still pop up on one's feed and the "explore page" would still remain. Nevertheless, some people become dependent on likes because they can make one feel seen, noticed, and even esteemed. Although likes do not necessarily imply these things, there is no way to know how each individual will react to receiving likes. Everyone would likely be better off without the like button as it seems to do more harm than good, but don't comments pose a similar problem? Social media as a whole causes numerous issues, but I highly doubt such a popular networking system will be abolished; thus, the like button would be a good start.
ReplyDeleteI definitely don't think that social media is fine as it is. Many people rely on likes and comments to make them feel good about themselves. I'm not entirely sure as to whether or not we would spend less time on it without the like button, but I do think that it would help a lot of people's mental health, because people tend to think that if they don't get as many likes as the next person, their picture, or body or face isn't good enough crushing their self confidence. It really is crazy how a number on a screen can influence so many people about how they feel about themselves.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that getting rid of the like button would necessarily change the amount of time we waste on social media, and while it may help improve ideas of self worth to a certain extent, the deteriorating mental health of youth today is a much more deep rooted problem that must be thoroughly analyzed and addressed. The "like" button is the new method by which popular culture is reinforced in our society, but it is often overlooked that popular culture, toxic beauty standards, and the idolization of seemingly perfect public figures is something that has for so long existed in our society, so the removal of the like button wouldn't solve the problem if these ideals will simply find a way to target youth in other ways.
ReplyDeleteWhat makes social media so dangerous is how easily accessible it is and how its content is misleading by depicting the lives of public figures with countless numbers of likes to be "perfect." The glorification of the lives of others and the subsequent comparison is what makes the like button so harmful. As for whether or not getting rid of it would make a difference, I personally don't think so, but using the same methods that toxicity reaches youth is the same way that positivity could reach them. Social media is not what has to change but the mindsets of the people using it do have to change; they must begin by realizing that social media only depicts the lives of others through a narrow scope and perhaps begin to glorify the goods parts of their own lives.