Have you been judged or judged someone else for something ‘liked’ on facebook?
Thanks to my news feed I am kept up to date with the ‘liking’ of my friends on a real time basis. Facebook ensures I am aware when Johnny joins the 5 179 353 other people who have the time to ‘like’ the group ‘randomly laughing because you remembered something funny.’ I am also kept up to date with friends who use their ‘like’ voice to rally behind Daniel Saal who promises if he reaches “80 000 likes” he will “superglue” his “bum cheeks together.”
It is here that the waters become murky. If one ‘likes’ a page on facebook are we too quick to take the liking as literal. Can one not ‘like’ a page to simply keep up to date or follow a trend. The Daniel Saal example depicts the power behind the ‘like’ in rallying for support. As the ‘likes’ of this page multiply, the audience increases exponentially thus the page generates more ‘likes’ and the cycle continues. This scaffold is used by a number of brands to raise awareness, market themselves or simply remain current and on trend.
In another, less flippant, vain, facebook connects us with current affairs, political leaders and news. I choose to use my ‘like’ button to follow these pages. Even though sometimes I do not agree with the views expressed, or do not necessarily like the person/company/opinion I ‘like’ I have the right to follow these pages and be connected without judgement. By ‘liking’ a page you can access information quickly and easily, often without searching for it. You witness influxes of page traffic, are informed when other ‘followers’ react to a post and are kept in the loop. Social media is becoming increasingly effective as a vehicle of communication and is harnessed by the majority of brands, celebrities etc to connect with typical people. What we are given in return is power to use the ‘like’ button how we wish. It may be to support something we genuinely like. It may be to raise awareness of a particular issue. It may be to stay informed and connected.
36 339 people ‘like’ Amnesty International’s facebook page whilst 1 039 277 people ‘like’ planking. 2 265 246 people like ‘Pinterest.’ These numbers could be interpreted as people using their ‘like’ voice in more of a literal sense, or maybe these people are simply curious as to why, for example, 1 039 276 other people ‘like’ planking? What we know for sure however is we all have the right to exercise the ‘like’ button how we see fit and we should not be judged for who we follow.
), and texting was used with buttons that had 3 letters to each key. I say this as I’m looking across the room at everyone’s iPhones! Actually, I can’t remember life without them!