By Farah G. Decano

 

IN this digital age, young adults are learning to get validation of their work, their projects, their accomplishments and even their self-worth from the number of likes they get on social media.

Sharing and liking of posts on the internet have become a marketing tool of businesses. Companies reward those who willingly take part in publicizing their products by giving users of cyberspace a chance for prizes or for some discounts. With a mere click of a button by willing participants, the digital advertisement becomes more accessible, gets a wider reach, and obtains more views.

Admittedly, the success of businesses and continued patronage rely much on advertisements.  Through the latter, the public are able to size up the worth of the companies and their products/services.

There is an emerging belief, however, that the quality of our work and our self-worth are contingent on our popularity on social media.  We associate appreciation by others of our work and of ourselves by likes and hearts.

This must stop. Unlike products, we are not for sale. Our human dignity cannot be measured by the mere number of followers or likes we gather on our FB or Twitter or Instagram.  We must not equate the estimation of our persons to what people say of us.

Unfortunately, this “likes-dependent” mentality is perpetuated early in some elementary schools, high schools, colleges and universities.   A number of these learning institutions direct their students to upload some of their assignments in cyberspace.   Students are given the chance to gather as much likes, hearts and thumbs up as possible because their work will be evaluated on that basis. This instruction makes popularity a part of their grade.

What do students absorb from these educational establishments that put value to public acceptance of their tasks?   Conformity, perhaps?  This writer fears that inculcating the need for mass approval in every aspect of our lives will result in our next generations’ loss of individuality, originality and courage to be themselves.

Moreover, “likes-based” assignments trigger parents, relatives, and friends of these students to do a lot of campaigning.  Afterall, no parent would want his/her child to get an evaluation below par.  The culture of “you scratch my back and I will scratch yours” among school parents is fast becoming solidified and prevalent.

Perhaps, it is time for the academe to slow down on “likes-based” projects and assignments and reflect whether popularity is really relevant to education.

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There are studies that show that overexposure to social media can contribute to the depression of some individuals.  There should also be a study whether the use of these communication tools increase the rate of codependency. 

The codependent is one who over-helps in order to feel good, feel less guilty and to secure control over those on the other side of the coin – the dependents.   A codependent can go as far as providing more “likes” in order to assist the depressed dependents.   

The problem with codependency is that the giver of assistance helps more than they are able to, thus risking their own health and wealth. The receiver, however, does not grow and learn.

Because of many people opening up their lives to the public thru the internet, self-barriers are blurred and less defined.  When boundaries are hazy, there is a possibility for the manipulative codependency relationship to rise. 

We hope that our educational institutions should be among those which warn our younger generations to regulate the use of social media. 

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