When I was young I never cared about follower count. It was hidden on most sites anyway or "following" wasn& #39;t a thing.

Now I& #39;m so hung up on it. I recognize it& #39;s unhealthy and evil. It breeds a horrible relationship with you, your peers and your art.

It& #39;s very easy to take an unfollow as an "insult" now that it& #39;s brandished on our profiles and shoved in our faces everywhere we go.

It& #39;s disconnected me from community based interactions. Making actual friends and having fun discussions.

I personally have an addictive/digital hoarding personality.

Every year I discover new ways that& #39;s challenged me. Loot boxes in games. Collecting characters/art. Watching follower count go up and never being satisfied because my brain just wants to have more and more.

Truly I worry for younger generations who have known nothing other than instant gratification in social media and disposable consumption of content.

It disconnects you from the idea that were all individuals. This kind of internet culture creates "icons" instead of people.

That& #39;s not in any way blaming youth. It& #39;s not their fault for having no other outlets other than Twitter, tiktok and Instagram.

These platforms are very dangerous for understanding your self worth though. I wish we had healthy access to community based sites instead.