The internet was created to be a place where we obtain and gather information; to learn and grow. Today, when it comes to the individual user, it’s more of an attention feeding ground. Those who crave it, now demand it. Whether it’s by being the most extraordinary to the most outrageous, people need to do more and more to get what they desire; recognition (deserved or otherwise).
In the past, recognition came for a job well done. Now, we give recognition for being different from the norm. The more outrageous and unique the person is, the more others flock to them; making it more the follower’s fault than the person the attention is upon. Those who want the attention, however, know what it takes to get others to look their way and exploit those desires.
It is a give and take proposition. I will give you what you crave (deviance and the bizarre) and you will in turn make me feel elated about myself.
There are several downsides to this world we created. In the past, social sites used to be communities and those communities had a function; people benefited from other members and in turn provided their own experiences. Today, social media sites create and promote claiming you are in a special class or know a thing without proof. You are an expert simply because you created a profile.
Truth be told, people are numb to it. Once everyone becomes unique, no one is. Once you shock a person, they don’t keep getting shocked. They shrug their shoulders and move on to the next crazy post. If the poster doesn’t say something the reader agrees with, has never heard of, or makes them feel angry or excited, they just don’t care.
Many of us have been online a very long time and have seen many people and situations come and go. We’ve met people who were real and those who were fake. People make up stories to see what we will believe leaving us suspicious that everyone is lying.
I personally have met several people who were truly in bad shape and discontinued existing both online and in real life. There are disturbed people living on the internet searching for counselors who disguise themselves as the average person. The problem is, the average person is not a counselor and, if given enough time, will vanish from the person’s life who truly needs assistance. That coupled with the fact so many people are pretending to need help, you simply cannot tell who is real.
Those who are taken in by the fake person in need can fall victim to their own caring of other humans. People get scammed for everything imaginable and the most gullible of us are taken for all they have. Thus, another reason people are suspicious and don’t believe what they are told. Why would you when you can’t tell which person is real and which is an attention seeker or scam artist?
In general, I have become suspicious of most people who contact me through any kind of social or community site. I’ve met real people in need and those who just want to push buttons. I’ve met some that were genuine but later found out that even that is not necessarily safe. When I was on a writing site, we gave honest comments and insight on each other’s work. It was a real community where people wanted to grow and help others along the way.
Now days if you’re on a site where you create something, others come along and comment “good job… now come and look at me”. That’s not a community, that’s simply narcissism.
Another truth to realize is that almost everyone who has a profile on the internet is looking for attention. It’s simply a matter of what type and how much. There are times when you must create a profile in order to see content that is otherwise blocked from view but, for the most part, you never need to create a profile of any sort to search for information. It’s only necessary when you want to post or comment on something and therefore asking for attention.
You can say that’s not your intent but if you’re a writer, for instance, and you type an article or poem or short story and post it to the internet, you are asking for feedback or praise. If you join a community where you want to meet and get to know other members with the same interest as you, you are asking for attention. If you join a site and never say or do anything you will eventually leave.
Look at this article you just read. Do you think I wrote it just for myself? If that were the case, I would have left it in my head or in my computer never sharing it with another sole. If you post to the internet, you are asking for some sort of response… otherwise, there is no point to it.
The Amazing Attention Seeker is the one who creates profiles on multiple sites and starts posting and commenting to everyone they can. They send private messages and reach out to strangers to get someone (anyone) to adore them. Sometimes they say nice things and sometimes they say horrible things; it doesn’t matter so long as they get attention. Some of them use their real hard-luck scenarios or made up ones to get others to feel sorry for them or shower them with attention. They love the rush they get when that much feeling comes their way.
Sadly, these seekers must now reach out to the younger generation because those who have been online for years can often see through the lies or simply choose not to believe the truth. We don’t need to take care of yet another online idiot who can’t find help in their real life. It’s the youth we must worry about in this regard because of how worried their teachers and family make them feel. The more we tell our youth to feel sorry for the underdog, the more they will fall victim to the deviants who want nothing more than to take anyone for a ride on their lunatic voyage through life.
Unfortunately, it may be that the only cure for this is experience. Everyone must fall for something sometime time in their life to understand the circumstances for being gullible. The scary part is you never know if the experience is going to be harmless or hurt the victim beyond repair. It’s why we warn others of what might be rather than doing nothing at all.
Warning: Attention Seekers care nothing of your feelings, your life, nor how their demands will affect you. They only want you to make them feel good about themselves and give them the praise and affection they think they deserve. They will stop at nothing to steal from you whether that be monetarily or emotionally. Investigate before investing in another person’s online life.
