Liking to be liked
What the hell is this “like” thing all about?
I was browsing the news sites and I came across a story – “Facebook anger over Ryanair fees as passenger gets huge support”.
Now the story itself is irrelevant so I won’t bother even linking to it, but let us for a moment examine the “huge support” bit.
According to the news clip, the person involved opened up a Facebook page to gripe about Ryanair and in five days got 350,000 “likes”.
What does a “like” consist of? It consists of placing a cursor over a little button on a web page and giving the tiniest of twitches to a small muscle in the index finger. Hardly an Olympic Sport? It takes more effort to rip off a good fart.
How many of those 350,000 even read the story? My guess is that it is the herd mentality in action again, and that a lot of people will read the news item and just head over to click the “like” because they want to be one of the crowd. Or seeing as they had gone to the bother of visiting the page, they might as well leave their mark – a bit like a dog pissing on a lamppost.
I would also like to know where the “dislike” button is. It’s a bit of a Russian election if you can only vote one way. How many people visited that page and just moved on because they didn’t like it? A couple of million? If so, I would hardly class 350,000 as “huge support”. We will never know.
People seem to be obsessed with their “likes”. I have had spam offering me so many thousand “likes” upon receipt of a cheque [and now we are in Irish election territory]. People openly beg for “likes”. Why? What exactly does a muscle tic signify?
Are people really that insecure?
How’s about a fart button on HR? Go on, I dare ya!
I’ll feed Herself some cabbage and onion for lunch, and will record the fallout.
I don’t get many “likes.” Can’t think why.
There, there, pet. We do like you. [*pats tt on the head*]
yes, yes they are that insecure
Here you go GD an interesting take on FB Like button re:1984
http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/1525/1984i.jpg
Some light reading for you Grandad. Can I get a like?
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/08/tobacco-on-pace-to-kill-one-billion-people-this-century/261385/
I like it but can’t find the button to express it
Ying – I like! Unfortunately I have to agree with Lafsword.
Fuck it – One button I do have is a Delete one. 😈
“Fuck it – One button I do have is a Delete one.”
Ying Likes This (^^^)
Fuck it. Like.
tt – I sense a lot of pain behind that decision?
Thoughts in a random order:
A “Dislike” button would be socially incorrect.
I have a muscle tick but it has nothing to do with any sort of “Like” button. It has much more to do with doctors going, “Oh shit, looks like we shouldn’t have given him so much of that particular medication”.
I’d much prefer a comment than a “Like” any day.
For some reason I like Google’s “+1” button much better. Why? Because I can remove the damn “+1” if I choose to.
Instead of a “Like” button, how about a “Like this or die” button? Performs the same function but is a more accurate reflection on the current human attitude.
350,000 “Likes” signifies nothing except except the fact that 350,000 people actually figured out how to push a button that for all intents and purposes does not really exist.
I like your post but I ain’t gonna push no damn button. I’ll just tell you instead.
Kirk M – I must say I agree with just about everything you have said, with the possible exception of the “Like this or Die” button [unless it can be permanently wired to the viewer’s chair and the mains?]. Anyhows, thanks for liking my post! 😉