The ‘Like’ Culture
I’m unashamed to admit took me a good year or two on Instagram to realise what the comments 'L4L' & ‘LB' actually meant- and for those still baffled, they’re short for ‘like for like’ and ‘like back'. Any one familiar with the likes of the Kardashian/Jenner sisters will be at least acquainted with these terms, which literally flood the comments section beneath their posts.
People seek validation from strangers and as much as many may deny it, it has become the norm. But if you wouldn’t care about what a random person on the street thinks of how you look that day, why is a virtual nod of approval so prized?
We all have that one follower that uploads a ‘repost’ because Instagram magically happened to ‘delete’ the original post that wasn’t doing quite as well ‘likes-wise’ as they’d hoped. People are literally embarrassed to the point of entirely erasing all proof of their lack of ‘likes’. Or, at least giving it another shot- perhaps at a peak time for people to be scrolling through the app. (Trust me, it’s a thing).
Here’s my take on a ‘likencyclopedia’:
'Like my posts too, please'
'This is aesthetically pleasing’
‘You look quite nice, but I’m only really liking it out of social obligation’
‘I like the way you look, notice me’
‘I’m liking this to annoy someone who I know will see it'