Why do people like their own social media posts?

Liking Your Own Post Meme
Liking Your Own Post Meme

Top 3 Reasons Why People Like Their Own Posts

They say on average, Canadians spend roughly three to fours a day online.  A big component of that is people’s social media use.  One of the biggest pet peeves I have about social media is that people like their own posts.  I see it all the time, most notably on Facebook and Instagram.  What is the point of that? What do you benefit from doing that?  Do you not realize what a tool that makes you look?

Today I’m going to highlight three reasons why I believe people have no problem liking their social posts without hesitation.  There needs to be more articles about this, because this is a topic that not too many seem to talk about, yet it exists out there!

Someone liking their own status message
Really Patricia…really?

They want to increase their vanity metrics

Whenever I am scrolling through my social feeds, I’ll see someone on my friends’ post be the first person to like their own content.  Wow, you just added one like to your post, congratulations 👏🏻.  In non earth-shattering news, to me this is viewed as a cheap attempt to boost yourself for all the wrong reasons.

Yes, I know you are the author of the post, that’s why I’m following you in the first place.  But when you hit your own FB ‘Like’ or IG heart icon button, you are simply just elevating your vanity metrics.  A vanity metric is simply a worthless feel good stat, that does nothing to grow your business.  You might think it is adding value by having x amount of likes to validate your post.  In reality, this is truly devaluing your post because you thought having more likes would make your content more appealing.

Someone liking their own FB status
Thanks for letting me know, Shawn.

Can seed potential engagement with your audience

So, here’s the scenario.  You’re about to publish your post and hit the post button.  You’re reviewing the text you included.  You checked properly for all the tagged people’s names and included the right location as well.  The post goes then goes live and you sit there, watching the seconds and minutes pass by.  That moment of anticipation…or no participation starts to trigger you.  “Will anyone like my post?” You say to yourself, “I know people just scrolled right passed by it…this is the Internet, we see everything right!?”

You do what you think is the next logical thing to do.  You decide to be the ice breaker at your own party.  Your own calculated move now shows on your friends’ feed that you were the first person to like your own post.  So instead of waiting for a reaction from your peers, you decided to make a little noise. Sounds like a great strategy, right?  Guess again Sherlock.  What this really displays to others is your own insecurity to be accepted, to be embraced.  Don’t worry if you get two likes or 200 likes.  If your content was compelling to begin with, others will eventually agree.

Mocking People For Liking Their Own Statuses
Mocking People For Liking Their Own Statuses

Social platforms left it there as an option

Sometimes it is the machine itself that provides all the bells and whistles.  In this case, social media platforms have left the option to intentionally like your own post.  Why this hasn’t been removed yet after all these years baffles me. Don’t be surprised if later this year, Instagram will do pilot testing in various regions to hide how many likes a post receives.  One of the main reasons for this action is to contain everyone’s mental health.  Yes, you’ve read that correctly.  People are growing too concerned with how many likes they get off their own content.  This consumption is not good for the mind frame if that’s the main reason you created an account.

The question needs to be asked, why hasn’t the like button been disabled yet for your own post?  Where is the actual benefit to this?  If these social platform owners think it is a bad idea to count how many likes there are, why do they still let users click on it then?  I truly do not see any value in it at all.  If anything, it displays how little you know about how to present yourself online.  Years from now, people will look back on this moment in time and question why this pointless metric was available in the first place.

Pat on the back joke
Pat on the back joke
End Point

Unless social media platforms disable the option to like your own content, we are stuck with it for now.  The next time you are about to post something and become the first person to like it, think more wisely in your decision.  Be aware and ask yourself how does this benefit one’s self.

Don’t get into social media if you are looking for a high approval rate from your peers.  Post on social because you want to share content that will find its own organic engagement.  Don’t be that person who thinks they have to make the first move to get people talking.  Let your content speak for itself.  If it takes more time to construct a well thought out post, then follow that strategy. Sometimes in life, less is more.

The key to having a great social media presence is always quality over quantity.  If you must slow down your frequency in terms of posting, then so be it.  Your audience will thank you because you’re not filling up their timeline with undesirable content.  Simply be authentic with yourself and your followers.