Do the "likes" you give me really mean anything? If my stuff has two likes, and the next guy has 512 likes, is he a better person? Or is he a more popular person, or what? Some people here and on YouTube definitely deserve the "likes" they get- the Petersens, Josh Turner, and Allison Young, for example. Still, what do they really say? If you "like" something on social media, think of why you "like" it. So, I "like" your YouTube video. Wonderful. You get another number next to the puny thumbs-up logo. Well, did I really "like" it, or do I actually give it three stars in my brain, but since it is either-or on most of social media, I guess I have to press "like" (if I want to press anything at all).
I will listen to an opposing political opinion on YouTube. Will I press dislike? Who/what did I dislike? The person, the political statement, or the sound quality of the video? Of course, I could explain myself in the comment section, but the most I would probably call the YouTuber an idiot without explaining myself well. What has become of me? What has become of us? Am I afraid to explain myself because I do not want to get into another spat about whether the ACW was about slavery? Well, I do not want to get in to that, so I guess I am something of a scaredy-cat.
I do not like rap. So am I going to listen to an Eminem or Snoop Dogg video just for the "joy" of disliking it? Actually, since I do not listen to rap videos at all (except for the occaisonal ERB), I won't even turn the video on, so that is one fewer dislike from me!
Go ahead and "like" this! See what the ---- I care! I get a bunch of thumbs up from total strangers who are protected by ominous screen names, who type what they would NEVER say in public!
Really, why should I care?
...I mean...the value of my upvote went from $.19 to $.42...that's gotta count for something