All the world’s a popularity contest thanks to the unprecedented rise of social media. Everyone is vying for the most likes, followers, and comments on their own brand. The ubiquitous “brandividual” is creating an urgent sense of need for validity through imaginary friends and fake relationships. Social media idolization has turned into a lucrative business that can be monetized into a dream lifestyle.
It is hard to wade through the marketing muck to find the authentic people who are making a difference or are legitimately worth connecting with. If you are your own brand then who you reach, and who you influence will depend on your tactics. Posting provocative pictures on your account will certainly bring in a flood of followers but is this the audience you desire?
How does one truly become loved or lovable when the world is promoting narcissism and self-aggrandizement? A popular and funny meme gives an accurate prediction; “Imagine they delete Instagram and BOOM!!! You’re not a model anymore.”
Being lovable, and to be loving, can be tricky for those characters when wealth, elitism, and perceived popularity tend to create a more “followable” person. Can a person with a larger than life existence relate to the masses or do the masses simply long to get a glimpse of the elite lifestyle? It does seem hard to discern if the reality is that the more unreachable you become the more attractive you are to the rest of the world. Popular reality shows featuring the rich and the privileged class come and go but the fascination remains. Popular but lonely is not a new phenomenon and lately we are hearing about this more and more with tragic consequences. Staying connected, really connected, is probably a better strategy for life and love rather than posting a picture and waiting to see how popular you are
in cyberspace.
The Brilliant Beauty of Kimberlite