Meta question about posting

Imo posts are better. Potential engagement is much nicer to me than just a like.

 

I am not a fan of "liking" systems as they are a low effort way to engage and often feed into unhealthy comparison between oneself and "others who get more internet points". Even a simple comment gives a chance to engage with each other and it's nice to know who enjoys what you share! I also think it's just more polite to take the time to get back to advice or a nice comment with a "thank you" rather than a quick click, it closes the interaction nicely and seems more human overall. It always makes my day when someone says something nice or interesting and I think it's always worth doing it to others, too

 

So, I'm approaching this as someone who also posts other things like fanart and fanfic online, so that colors my opinion. But a like may be nice, but it doesn't communicate what about the styling/ picture/ writing/ etc. someone likes, and it doesn't give me the chance to actually communicate and engage with people who like what I make. The community aspect of sharing things online has tanked over the years as things like instagram, tiktok, etc became more and more popular and developed algorithms that encourage people to just like and scroll without engaging in a more meaningful way. I'd much prefer a short comment, even if it's just like a heart emoji or something (which I've gotten on fic) that lets me know someone took the time to engage with it than a like. With my writing especially, I'm left wondering if they actually finished it and liked it or if they just left a like as a courtesy instead of actually liking the piece.

 

@babezoid I understand your point with the lack of inspiration in a comment. It's sometimes hard to post something original, or personally I sometimes think a comment I could add may not be very constructive or just another of a dozen the creator already received, so sometimes a like maybe a more simple way to still show some support.

But one of my resolutions this year in the doll hobby was to be most active in my support to the accounts I really like. Posting myself (not as much as before though ahah), I understand the frustration of sharing a picture you like with a text that means something to you, or just with some update and mostly having a few likes as a response. It can feel like the viewers did not really take the time to read, or at least you don't know what they really think about your content. I am still happy with likes, but this may feel kind of "generic" sometimes if that makes sense.

However, likes are also an easy and quick way to show support. With all the accounts we follow, it may be hard to take the time to comment everything, so it's completely understandable we do not have a comment from each person really liking our pics.

So it's kind of a mix of things : I love receiving comments, even simple ones, because they show a real sign of interest from a follower, and they are always nice words to receive, but likes are also great and still show some support, that people are still there, even though it's less "personalised"

 

NGL I reread the comments on my posts with some frequency. They are all little gifts that keep on giving.

Yes, the most rewarding is to have inspired a spontaneous outpouring of ideas or emotions in someone that they just had to share.

But beyond that, every moment I spend reading and rereading is a moment of pleasure that someone chose to give me, and that already means a lot in itself.

Likes are also quanta of kindness, but as fast as they are to give, the counting of them is also over very quickly.

But on top of all of that, I also experience it as an act of generosity when people post in the first place. The creation and appreciation of art form a virtuous circle. And this place is... you all are... very good at keeping that circle going.

 

Posts over likes for sure! I love interacting with others with a shared love of the dolls or fandoms/stories that they may be based on or inspired by!

 

On this forum I certainly appreciate both, but when someone has a thoughtful comment that makes me feel happy. My opinion varies by site. Here I have to go to a specific menu to see who liked my post so I usually don't ever check. It's pretty much anonymous at that point. But on a platform where I get notifications for the like from a friend it feels good. Sometimes I have a difficult relationship with the types of praise I might get, which sounds awful it's just a mental problem. Because of that, likes are a nice way to feel appreciated without getting triggered. Seldom do comments trigger me on this forum so (anyone reading) if you are one of the handful of nice people who comment on my galleries sometimes please don't stop

 

I like any interaction whether it’s reactions or comments, it just lets me know the effort I put towards posting content is acknowledged in some way.

 

As someone who has used likes on other platforms always as a kind of bookmark (which means I will sooner or later un-like something), I always put in more effort into commenting on stuff. On platforms where a like is very much just a "positive reaction" I usually tend to not use it at all. It's very rare for me to like posts here or on let's say Facebook for example.

When posting photos/fanfictions online I also care way less for a quickly tapped like or kudos (for the Ao3 people). I've seen people scroll their feeds and just mindlessly tap like on any post they come across. Even a short comment is very meaningful, and I regularly go back to old stuff I posted and read them with delight. On sites like Tumblr where people love to leave unhinged tags or Ao3 with their "omfg I love this so much URGH!!" comments it's just fun to see the unfiltered emotional, very human reaction towards what I created. Let's be honest, sometimes all you can say is OMFG!!! when something really grabs you it's not about the depth of the comment (even if I love those too), sometimes it's just knowing you made someone feel so strongly and positively.

So even if you feel like you cannot put your thoughts and feelings into an elaborate comment, leave one anyway. The effort is always appreciated.

 

I like to use a mixture of both. If I have something to say, be it "cool!" or "pretty!" or something much longer, I try to post a comment.
But, if I am having difficulty putting into words what I like about something, I do just like it. Sometimes it depends on my energy levels. I appreciate either reaction though I know I am a terrible lurker these days on social media. I'm probably the most active here!

 

Sometimes you had an art teacher who made you explain what you liked about something even if you couldn't express it for what ever reason so every time you 'like' something on line just because you like it is just a punk thing you do to spite them.

Other times you want to write the OP an essay about how it inspired you to go on and do something so I think there's room for both.

 

I'm not a fan of likes in general, but sometimes I feel I wouldn't add much of worth by typing out a comment, so I give a like to engage in some form. This can happen even when I love something very much. Sometimes I'm on the move and I can't type in that moment.
I think the way it works on DOA is fine: this isn't a place where people scroll fast and hit like mindlessly, so it's got more meaning to get a like here than it does on Instagram and such.

 

Both are good of course, but I much prefer getting comments over likes, on all platforms.

They both have their place, not everyone has the mental energy to write a whole comment on everything they see every day (incl me!)
But getting likes feels like...yelling out into the cold, faceless, void of the internet and hearing an echo; whereas comments feel like a real human connection.

Maybe that's reading too deep into it, haha. I do miss the older, slower days of the internet before current social media took over.

 

I’m a hybrid on this topic as well. My time spent on social media is minimal. instead, I bjd scroll instead of doom scroll.

I comment when I have something to add to the existing conversation. My job is taxing mentally and interpersonally. Likes, to me, are akin to smiling / nodding to the person sitting next to you on the train for the next hour. It’s a polite way to acknowledge someone who took time to share something they love.