I remember when I focused so much on how many people followed me. I believed it equated to a sense of value or meaning. The more followers I had, the more people I believed would love me and cherish me.
The truth is, nobody cares. How many followers you have doesn’t determine your self worth or your value within society. The real question is determining what your purpose is. If you’re someone who has a purpose and has a lot of followers then I admire you. Most people today just do “things” to find their fame.
In reality, I’ve found that someone with more followers doesn’t equal happiness, fame or fortune. I have met people with thousands of followers and are battling life every single day. I’ve also met people with only a handful of followers and they are the happiest people I have ever met.
Followers mean nothing — it is all about purpose. Are you doing what you love? Are you sharing a part of yourself to the world and feeling liberated while you do it? Are you finding your place in the world with a sense of awe and excitement.
I know so many people who are trapped in the algorithms of social media. They want to keep seeing the numbers increase; the views, followers and likes. But deep down, they are miserable. They cry daily, they don’t feel worthy and they certainly don’t feel the love beyond their Instagram page.
What about you? Have you walked away from becoming social media famous, but rather having a select group of followers who truly appreciate what you have to offer to the world? Where do you stand? For me, it is all about purpose and passion.
Finding yourself in a world and knowing you offer something unique and different. You choose to walk against the flow of people and do what you believe in because you can feel it within you. It feels right. It is right. It’s about finding what makes you happy — a balance of who you are and who you want to become.
If you can get social media right and understand how it truly works, then I applaud you. If you can make your mark, create value and follow your purpose and inner compass then you are certainly doing something right. I love authenticity. I love real. I love something that speaks to me.
It is so easy to het lost in the ocean of social media today. The staged videos, the made up stories and scenarios which are designed just to get likes. It’s full of the fake and the fable. However, like I described above, there are those who are real. The real ones who share what sets their soul on fire. They use it as a form of expression; a release. For others, it might be healing.
Like writing, sharing my life with others is a form of expression. Finding your personal brand and letting it shine through all the noise. Finding what makes you happy and letting the world in to enjoy it with you.
The beauty of life is that we are all different. We are unique. We all love different things and we all have passions that get us up each and every morning. This is what makes humanity so beautiful. This is what creates love and light. The differing elements within us is what brings us together. It’s magical.
However, the monolithic giants such as Google and Facebook have monetized our very feelings, thoughts and passions. They’ve turned something normal into something professional. It has become a mind game of transactions between one person and another. Instead of appreciating one’s art, it has become about being a better artist. Followers equate to an egotistical view of power and love. It’s an inflationary belief.
With the “evolution” of technology, we have become so fixated on who we are and how others view is. Is the last picture we posted up to scratch for my followers? Do I look hot enough? Am I good enough to post this? Is it the right time to post this now so I can maximize my reach? With questions like this, I worry about the future of humanity. We have become slaves to the algorithm. A slave to society.
We are measuring our self worth against a digital ruler of recognition and appreciation. It isn’t real. It’s made up and it’s contributing to mental health problems, illness and suicide. People don’t feel good enough anymore because they’ve forgotten to look for their purpose and keep looking for their next post. Their next like and their next follow.
It doesn’t make sense anymore. When did we lose our fire? When did we lose our passion and our search for something greater than us? When did we begin to find solace in followers and likes and not in impact, value or purpose? It’s time to ask some important questions about your own life. It’s time we begin to stand up to these monopolies who exploit or data and our minds. We have become slaves to the giants. We have allowed them to distort our reality for far too long.
When will we all turn our phones off and go within ourselves to realize our self worth is and always will be derived from within? Followers mean nothing. It’s all about purpose. Do that which sets your heart on fire.
Ask yourself what makes you come alive. — Howard Thurman
