How important are thumbs up, hearts, comments, and the like, really? Is it enough to just click that thumbs up button on your friend's post/picture/video, beloved author page, or favorite group, and keep scrolling? These are questions you need to know the answers to, because believe it or not, they effect your author platform immensely.
When you like, heart, or otherwise click an emoticon on a friend's post, it tells the algorithm you like posts by that person, page, or group, posts of that nature in particular. The algorithm tells the mother ship, who then stores that information, and will show you more of that person's posts in the future. The less you like a friend's posts, the less they will show up in your feed until they eventually disappear altogether in the obscurity that is the matrix monster's belly. When you comment, it flips the red alert alarm on the mother ship which helps launch that post/picture/video up out of the belly of the monster and into orbit where it can be seen. Yes, comments are THAT important. All the likes in the world are useless compaired to comments. The beauty of it is: You can simply put an emoticon in the comment! That's all it takes to count as a comment, really. So if you don't have a lot of time, but want to help out a friend's post, drop a heart emoticon in there.
This is the era of stored information because there is so much data incoming at all times, there is no way you could possibly see it all. So the mother ship learns what you like and shows it to you. "But, Heather," you ask, "You said this effects my author platform. How, when you're talking about me liking other people's post?" I'm glad you asked. What you send out comes back to you, especially in the matrix of social media. If you like and comment on people's posts, they are far more likely to do the same for you. You are "friends", after all, and the best friendships are based on a two-way interaction. Do not expect what you are not willing to give. Now get out there and do some commenting. May the odds be ever in your favor.
Disclaimer: No animals were harmed during the gratuitious dropping of pop culture references in this post.
