Social media likes me more when I’m sad and struggling.
When I was single, depressed, and lost in life, it felt like I was going viral constantly. Anytime I have a few down days and talk about them, it picks up again. But when I’m happy in my relationship, doing better in life, or sharing my passions and the things I create, it feels like I might as well be speaking into the void.
I’m not sure why that is. Maybe people relate more to the struggles. Maybe seeing someone else having a hard time makes them feel less alone in their own. Maybe the algorithm just gives those posts more attention. Or maybe we see so many people sharing the good parts of their lives that another happy post just gets scrolled past. Whatever the reason, it can be discouraging.
I’m not gonna lie, sometimes I get excited to share something that makes me happy, then catch myself thinking, “What’s the point? No one’s even going to care.”
I don’t need big numbers to feel fulfilled, and I’m not going to make things up or stir up drama for likes. I’ll take a day when I feel happy to be alive over any of the days I don’t.
But it’s a strange feeling to see so much interest in your pain and so little in the things that make you glad to be alive.