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Force yourself to stop Comparing. Hide likes/Followers

932 views 7 replies 4 participants last post by  a degree of freedom 
#1 ·
I think the internet is useless as far as social media accounts go. Unless you are good at them, you just feel worse after you log out.
Yet we keep logging in. Something addicting about comparing our numbers, right? Likes, followers, etc?

I have google chrome and i went to the extension store. I found an extension that hides youtube comments. I found another one that hides facebook likes. And I created one that hides instagram likes and followers, for desktop viewing.

Check it out (https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/instahappy/lkkdndkfbpjcjkhhoofopdjdoajjikff)

I've spent significantly less time on these sites as a result. And, I feel better. Sure, the reality is that certain people have many followers. But I don't need to be reminded of that. Using these things, I can refocus myself. I can dedicate myself to expression. It should be fun :)
 
#4 ·
Great advice. I feel that obsessing over the news in general and the need for people to like or read your comments can begin to be very unhealthy. I struggled really badly with the trending garbage on facebook. I found something called FB Purity that removed that section, along with a lot of other things.

When Taylor Swift arguing with some girl on twitter becomes trending on facebook, then you realize just how pointless and stupid the majority of it really is.
 
#5 ·
I have google chrome and i went to the extension store. I found an extension that hides youtube comments. I found another one that hides facebook likes. And I created one that hides instagram likes and followers, for desktop viewing.
But ... what if someone you know likes what you wrote? Doesn't that make you feel good?

I think I would only feel bad if I posted something and got zero response. .... Which is why I only post things I know people will like! :grin2:

(which is why I say very little on Facebook and don't have active accounts on other such sites)
 
#6 ·
I think part of happiness on social media sites is just a little bit of narcissism, the pleasure in just making an image of yourself that YOU appreciate and makes you feel good about yourself. I think for some people this is why they do otherwise incomprehensible things like take selfies. I don't get it personally, but I think it's the same thing. So I like posting neat pictures of places I've been and things I've done and it's a lot like a resume when it works right in just being a kind of shrine to yourself so you can remember, "ok, I do have something going for me" and it's like a distilled picture of who you are and what you offer and there's pleasure you can take from that, especially when others like it or interact with it. There's a sense in which it's very natural, and what anyone will try to do: build the best conditions possible for their own expression and ability to be known.
 
#7 ·
I'm not gonna lie, getting likes feels great. But how about when they stop? If you are mature, that's fine. If you're like me, it kind of tears down any self-esteem I've built up. An extension is temporary. You can disable it when you feel like you're ready.

In the meantime, you can still use fb/instagram. Alas, without the unnecessary pressure to compete for likes, comments, and followers. You might even be surprised, once you disable it, to find that people have liked your posts :)
 
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