Why ‘likes’ shouldn’t really matter

Aditya Mukherjee

Unlike others for whom being on Facebook is a raison d’etre of their social identity, I have never found this democratic platform invigorating. At the risk of being pigeonholed as a Luddite not au fait with the marvels of technology, I find this medium being (mis)used by people to curate their selfhood. It also reeks of a desire to tom-tom one’s achievements, family profiles and geographic movements by announcing their timings of landing at airports, not to mention the incredible degree of self-adulation practitioners of this medium indulge in.  

A colleague, driven by a sensory stimulus of a Proustean nature, is in a habit of posting his sepia-tinted photographs of childhood at regular intervals. Imagine the happiness that courses through my friend on seeing the avalanche of ‘likes’ when he logs in. 

A young former colleague, who shifted to Hyderabad after her marriage, took it into her head to post photographs ranging from packing belongings to unpacking them in the new house. For many, the temptation to unabashedly leverage their private lives for the consumption of others is irresistible. 

Another colleague posts photographs of her reclining in a sofa with an English novel, to publicise her literary interests. 

I don’t remember the last time I posted something concerning me or my family. I have never been comfortable posting pictures of my family’s visit to any part of the country. Nor posting pictures of birthday celebrations of my family members is my definition of being ‘social’. My predilection for keeping my personal and social life away from public glare and scrutiny leaves many of my social media friends perplexed. They even find my disinterest bordering on the hypocritical and morbid.

Ten years ago, when I opened my Facebook account and got sucked into its seductive embrace, I went on a friend request ‘send’ and ‘accept’ spree, little realising that I would get to see endless showcasing of family events that I couldn’t relate to. Sending a forced ‘like’ became the sine qua non of Facebook bonding. But I couldn’t string it out for long. I am now left with some journalist friends and a couple of writers whose posts I value for their content. 

I also like those posts where people talk about issues concerning animal welfare and visuals showing rescue operations of any accident or tragedy which brings out the Dunkirk spirit. Some years ago, I posted a picture of an uprooted tree in front of my balcony. I was heartbroken as it used to shelter birds. I was just seeking some cathartic relief, but much to my consternation, my post didn’t evoke any heart-felt response, perhaps because the staid visual of a mangled tree was no patch on the sought-after vibrant visuals of riveting family gatherings or a selfie against imposing mountains and sea.