One Easy and Free Way to Level Up Your Karma

Statistically, This Applies to ~97 Out of Every 100 People I Know

I have a great memory of arguing with two of my best guy friends (Will and Jerry, pictured below) while completing the two-week-long rickshaw run down the west coast of India.

We had a lot of hilarious arguments during that trip (most commonly about who was having the best day), but one that I still think about was centered around our differences in how we engage with social media.

Photo by Jarrett Nixon, aka Jerry. He’s very clearly having a worse day than me.

Here’s what I do: I like almost EVERYTHING.

Here’s what 97 out of 100 of you do: You scroll, and rarely if ever engage. You seldom acknowledge that you saw a post or story. Seeing how many folks are watching my average Instagram story and how few engage led to knowing more accurately this truth that I’ve assumed for a while now.

Shoutout to Casey, Consuelo, and my local artist friend Hakcman, who send me more virtual love than anyone else by a long shot. You three don’t need to read this blog. To be fair, there are others of you who I would give a B+ to for “giving social media love” as well, but 90% of folks get a D- or F.

During our argument, Will and Jerry were trying to say what I do is “weird,” which, if we’re basing that descriptor on what is “normal social media behavior,” then I suppose statistically they’re correct.

However, I personally find it so bizarre that 250 of my friends can see a picture or video of a me walking in nature, playing guitar, or hanging with my dog, and not take .5 seconds to let me know, Hey mate, I see you!

It’s strange, and I’ve pondered why quite a bit.

Let’s break it down.

You might be quickly scrolling, but your brain is the fastest computer processor in the world, and if you could slow down the hummingbird wings of your brain—break down the analysis that’s happening—you’re basically thinking some version of “Should I like this?” Then quickly concluding, “No, it’s not good enough,” and you swipe your thumb up or to the right again, instead of dropping your thumb on a little heart first.