I think it's become commonplace for people to seek appreciation through content creation because a person's importance is tied to their output, visibility, and interactions, within internet culture.

Partially due to the pandemic limiting person-to-person interactions, but mostly due to the ever-shortening "meme cycle" imo, the output requirement for continued relevancy is an extreme stressor.

(Wow what a run-on sentence, Orion.)

My favorite (read: most painful) experience of this is on Tiktok. Kids responding to each other with "Says the person with 48 followers and 126 likes", directly equating the value of a person or their statement to their content. I see this a lot. A LOT.

But Tiktok is just an example of a generally younger userbase doing the same thing many people of all ages do. Big number mean much attention mean personal value, yet big number bring no happiness, only distance.

Why use lots word when little word do.

My suggestion, mostly to myself but feel free to partake, is to show people appreciation outside of the context of work or creation. Appreciation just for being.

And specifically, asking and fulfilling their need to be appreciated in the way that suits them best.

This has been a thread. Give me big number so I feel slightly valued before the wave of parasocial dread crashes down upon me, human.