I think that a “like” is so addictive because it gives the poster the feeling that they are receiving attention and respect, in a sense, from those online and it makes them feel appreciated for their looks which may not necessarily be something that they are very confident about, looking at beauty standards today.

I don’t necessarily think that there is anything wrong with craving that virtual attention online; some people see it as therapeutic, or they may not be having the easiest time communicating with people in person so getting attention from people online is their way of socialising and connecting with others. Of course, there is an extent to this; I don’t think that people have gone too far with their criticism of social media, seeing some of the cases of social media addiction today I believe fully justifies their claims and criticisms towards social media. It is taking over some people’s lives for the worse, especially when they do not get the kind of attention that they wish to.

I think that Instagram does not create its algorithm in a way to promote a “compare and despair” attitude on purpose, it is just that by trying to publicise those getting more attention on social media in what I believe is purely a business based move this is one of the consequences of that.

I think that we don’t need to be as concerned with an addiction to social media as we are to drugs and alcohol until it comes to a point where the victim is physically harming themselves due to the consequences of their social media addiction; of course, their mental health should be kept under close watch with a social media album but I think that it only gets as serious when it comes to them physically harming themselves.

Social media might be more positive than real life interactions when trying to meet new people, or to connect with people that you have not met in a long time because through social media it already gives them some sort of background on you, and it helps you create a good first impression without meeting the person immediately which in a sense may work to your benefit, as people may create other preconceptions about you when meeting you in person compared to chatting online, so when and if you do meet this person in person they will already know something about you.