Popularity Syndrome – The Quest To Gain Internet Fame
By fiifi DZANSI
This is how social media works.
The more you post, the more likely you are to reach many.
The more people you reach, the more likely you are to get likes, shares and comments.
More of these could bring you fame.
That fame qualifies you as an influencer, your ticket to wealth.
It sounds simple on the surface but more complex and soul-sucking beneath.
Because platforms are acutely congested, it’s difficult for your posts to reach myriads of people. Unless you’re famous, you need to put in the work.
As humans as we are, we always look for shortcuts. And we almost always find it. People have discovered the shortcuts to internet fame. Sad to say, many of these shortcuts are riddled with insanity.
Trolls. They roam free on social with impunity. They jump any trending topic bringing their sarcasm, racism and sometimes obscenity. Many are drawn to trolls, thereby giving them the numbers to become influencers of some sort.
Political fake news. Fake news spread fast on the internet. But they say political fakes news spreads the fastest. These kinds of a report where facts are manipulated to look like lies and lies are decorated to otherwise spark massive conversations and incense people.
Obscenity. This is perhaps the king of them all. People in their hearts crave things of sexual nature.
A recent survey suggests that women who show heavy behinds and breasts in a rather lewd manner are gaining attention. And the algorithm spreads such posts to many because of the interaction they get.
Because of this, many women are spending thousands of dollars on plastic surgeries to enhance various body parts and make them sexually attractive.
Unfortunately, some in their chase for this fleeting popularity have descended so low and have thrown away the little dignity they had left.