Why do I have anxiety about posting on social media?
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Some aspects of communication are distinctive online, and this might increase social anxiety. One such aspect is the culture of shares and ‘Likes’. When you post something and wait to see how many hearts or thumbs-up it receives, it can feel as though a specific number is being placed on your popularity or worth.
Social anxiety disorder (also called social phobia) is a mental health condition. It is an intense, persistent fear of being watched and judged by others. This fear can affect work, school, and your other day-to-day activities. It can even make it hard to make and keep friends.
Is it wrong to want ‘likes’ on social media?
He also doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with wanting ‘likes’ on social media; it’s nothing to be ashamed of, which is reassuring to hear. ‘It’s worse to pretend you’re not human and not care – you msut embrace your humanity and say, “that hurt!”’ he explains.
How many likes are there on Facebook?
There have been 1.13 trillion likes on Facebook since it launched in 2004, 4.5 billion every day and 3,125,000 new likes a minute. That;’s a lot of likes: we obviously like to ‘like’.
I’m suggesting that social media hasn’t changed what people are like on the inside, your personality hasn’t changed – if you were insecure before Facebook, you’re insecure on Facebook.’ However, it has changed how people act on the outside because it provides an outlet that didn’t exist before.
I asked psychologist Dr Max Blumberg why a lot of us suddenly seem to care about this kind of thing and he laughed. Because it’s not a new thing at all. ‘People have always needed approval because human beings are social creatures, so it’s no coincidence that it’s called social media,’ he explained.