Do you ever think that your selection with hearts might affect how people see you?

Hearts are free but we obviously don't heart every post we see. So have you ever considered how your choice in what you give a heart to makes people see in or think of you? Does it cross your mind how people react emotionally whether you heart all of their posts, heart every posts but theirs, or heart only certain posts of theirs? I like the heart or "like" button for that. The simple act of "approving" someone's comment adds some depth to everyday interactions online. Kind of like an internet smile or nod o.o Just one of those nifty things about the net

It most certainly creates a need to showcase your emotions through artificial expressions but yet again takes away some input from the person who could just say that's a well thought out comment. Or perhaps both in that way no harm done. Social networks have a thing for Automizing certain things we do you only need to look at Facebook to see that. It's a good feature though used properly and genuinely whereas if your just hearing every post out of necessity to please your friends or to do it just because you know they will in return then no, there's a reason I avoid facebook. Genuinely would be like now, hearting this for a good thread.

I will acknowledge that it does kind of automate the interaction process. But one could argue that it adds a new layer of interaction in a more subtle sense. Though you might call the act of expressing that interest through hearts at best lazy and at worst cowardly XD. I have different reasons for not using facebook myself. But I can see where you're coming from. Still you gotta admit that it's just a little interesting to see how some people just give hearts away whilst others intentionally are sparing with them even though in both cases it takes no effort. Say for example I'm talking to two girls who are both flirting with me. I say good things about both but I only heart one of their flirtatious comments. Even though I express approval at both attempts "verbally" with typing, for better or worse one has gotten more approval than the other. And they might feel that I "really" like the person I gave the heart to. Or maybe I do and it's a subtle way of showing it <.< Or imagine that two people are arguing and I'm giving hearts to one person. Sure I could keep saying that "I agree with you" but the hearts shorthand it. What's more if I don't heart one specific post but do heart the others then that draws attention to the one post I didn't. Of course at some point it just gets paranoid. Sometimes I wonder if I'm the only person that pays mind to stuff like that XD But thanks for the well thought out response!

Hello. I am here now. Also yes. I agree with you, Halo and Yu.

@Halo welcome, I believe quite a few people actually participate in thinking that way. You are not paranoid as you are observant in spotting something out. Such as the pattern with post, from somebody different or outside of the main circle of active users here or just says things that they find "different". Theres a pretty noticeable gap of communication. I will leave it to those interested to think about that one.

*speaks into radio* Papa Smurf, This is Alpha Kilo. They've started to question the hearts. What do we do now? Over. *From radio* Alpha Kilo, this is Papa Smurf. Abort mission, I repeat, Abort mission. Over. *To radio* Roger that, aborting mission. Alpha Kilo, over and out.

Thanks Halo; I try. Semi-serious though, the hearts likely started from things like Facebook and it's like system. They probably did a lot of social experiments to determine that their users became more enthusiastic about posting when they saw other people "like" their posts. It gives a medium to allow people to acknowledge a post with minimal effort. Where there are many posts that I read and give a "heart" to, If there were no heart system in place, I may have not acknowledged it at all (publicly). I would know that I read it, but others would have no idea of their exposure unless the readers had the time to respond. OR. This could just be some big social experiment to lure people like me who have never participated in social media out into the open.