A Sociology of Likes

Likes (and other forms of endorsement on social media: hearts, favorites, recommendations) is often portrayed as empty engagement by users, mindless gestures devoid of all but the tiniest of significance.

I see this as a continuation of a long tradition in sociology to assume the subjects studied are somehow unaware of a true state of the world which only the sociologist have access to through the reflexivity that others are assumed to lack.

The masses are seen as simpletons, duped into surrendering their social, cultural and symbolic capital by revealing preferences and extending the marketing reach of faceless corporations. Instead of bona fide congratulation and interactions they succumb to absently clicking buttons, unaware of the insignificance of these actions

I beg to differ. I think that users are by and large quite reflexive of what they are doing. And i think that affording them status as thinking creatures can reveal quite a lot about what function the act of liking actually fulfills.

First, i think that users - at least in our neck of the woods - actually know that liking plays a role in what shows up in our news feeds, and are reflexive enough to be able to use it as such. Liking can then be a way to invite more content from a source into our feeds. It’s a way of saying I would like to hear more from you. And I know that you can see that i want that, so lets stay in touch.

Granted, it’s not a large gesture, but that does not make it devoid of meaning. The coveted conversations in face to face interactions also rely on a host of micro gestures that tells your companion please go on: nods, ahh’s, ok’s - smiles even. I don’t see any reason why we should see likes as any less than a digital equivalent - a micro gesture.

The second role this gives likes is as a pedagogic feedback mechanism in identity construction. Because social media makes a host of previously unseen consumption habits visible, it helps us construct our identities from more sources than before: where before only our clothing, cars and habitats very visible identifiers of our status, we can now flaunt what we read, what we listen to, what we eat, our exercise and our thoughts.

And where before we could only identify our faux pas and our successes by the scoffs and winks that people displayed before our faces, likes now gives us instant feedback on how our actions are perceived and valued. You might have thought that kitschy picture from your reunion was hilarious, but the resounding digital silence says otherwise. Got a new job? Your entire network will have shown their approvals within a couple of hours. This can be stressful, of course, but it is also through feedback that we become adept at practices - including fashioning our selves.

Lastly, liking is also a way discrete to show people what content you consume: that you are well read and in the know. 100 book reviews on goodreads does as much to show you’re erudite as a well stocked bookcase used to.

So social endorsements are far from empty gestures. In fact, you can both tell me to write more on this subject, encourage others to read it and show off your cultured reading habits by pressing the recommend button below. Thank you for reading.