Want to be popular?

 

Of course, you do.

Everyone wants someone to like them.

Back in the day you had to have a family name or wealth or importance of your father’s occupation. You had a title and a crest and everyone wanted to be like you for you were the early celebrity before tabloids.

Then you joined clubs, like the Masons or the Friars or the Army, and had friends with a lapel pin or a stripe on the sleeve.

To be popular in school you had to dress with the correct clothing, have the current haircut, drive a fancy car and know the latest dance moves. The quarterback and head cheerleader were popular by their position.

It was important to find your caste of self-worth in your surroundings for an acceptable presentation to others. Much of which meant face-to-face contact to sell yourself. If you didn’t fulfill the requirements to this clique, then move on to find a good fit.

Today we have social media.

Anyone can be whatever kind of aviator they can imagine.

Anyone who finds your profile on whichever app can become your ‘friend’ with the click of a mouse, but to be popular you need a following.

Following isn’t new. We followed our favorite television shows or latest pop bands or movie stars or college teams or race car drivers. We followed politics and Jesus. We followed our grandchildren but not our mother. We followed our old school alumni or summer campers but many faces and locations and interest changes through the years and we lose touch.

So, who follows you?

To be ‘popular’ today, you must have a following. See how many counts it takes to become viral. What can you do or say to get a following?

If you are running for a political office, you need a following to give you money. If you are an entertainer, you need a following to buy the tickets and stream your performance. If you are a plumber…?

Following could become stalking or phishing or just looking for trolls to comment. Following leaves, a trail for algo rhythms to calculate what you like or avoid. Following your purchases tells the world more than you might want to tell?

I follow others. If not, the photos of their dinners or grandchildren or selfies wouldn’t show up every day.

Then why would I log on in the morning hoping someone out there beyond my reach will post something of interest?