People have always longed for fame, the mass approval of others. If only people would love and admire us, we reason, then maybe we would really matter. If you think people were addicted to fame in the 1980’s, the last 4 years would have said, “you ain’t seen nothing yet.”
The next decades would bring us reality shows, people who were famous for being famous, the Kardashians, and social media. Today more people seem more addicted to finding their approval from others than ever before. Fame is about social validation like a performer’s hunger for applause. In our culture, there’s nothing worse than being obscure and nothing better than being famous.
According to author Gregory Jantz, people are addicted to social media because we are addicted to approval. Our sense of self-esteem is dependent upon whether or not someone likes them, so in order to feel OK about themselves, they need to know whether they are liked or not. According to one study 48% of the highest users of Facebook will go on Facebook first thing in the morning, even before they go to the bathroom. They need to see who liked their posts. So hungry are we for affirmation and approval it becomes literally the first thing we crave every day.
Which begs the question, “Whose approval do you really need?” That’s a critical question if you want to live a Life on Purpose.