The Internet is for Validation

The pull of the internet is for validation--validation by peers, by strangers, by individuals and by crowds.
We used to get these things one-on-one by people with whom we chose to invest time in the cultivation of relationships.
Now we get it from likes, +1s, youtube comments, reddit comments, upvotes, retweets.
The pull of validation is strong. 17 likes! Wow! So much attention, appreciation, agreement! Must post more.
Post your breakfast, post your kids, post your garden, post your dogs.
Post your bowel movement, post your nose picking, post your wounds, post your bruises, post your scars both emotional and physical.
Good moments, bad moments, no matter--just acknowledge me, appreciate me, agree with me or argue with me but for goodness sake don't ignore me.
Attention is what it's about, for many it doesn't matter if its positive or negative.
It doesn't matter if it enriches your life or detracts from it.
It doesn't matter if it builds your relationships or harms them.

Erin Ma likes this post.