The almighty LIKE

Once upon a time, people took photos as personal keepsakes. They took them for themselves, to show them to their children, and to share some memories with family and friends. 

But then, something happened. Something big. 

source

In 2009, Facebook launched its iconic 'Like' button. A year later, Instagram was released with its cute little 'like' heart -  and the world of photos as we knew it was history.

source

The reasons for taking and posting  pictures have changed. While we still like to snap photos for the fun of it and to capture memories, there is now another, much more compelling reason: to collect 'likes'.
We want people to like our shit!

I am no different, of course. Yet, I still haven't fully figured out the secret code of how to become a successful collector of hundreds and thousands of likes. So I did a little research (i.e. scrolled through my Facebook and IG feeds, harrumphing along the way), and discovered a few crowd pleasers. If you want to get those likes, do any (or all) of the following:

1. Get married. Wedding photos are guaranteed to get you numerous likes! However, I have noticed that they seem to be more popular on Facebook than Instagram. Keep that in mind.
2. Get pregnant. Baby bump updates are hot stuff. Keep those updates coming! Also, make sure to peruse Pinterest extensively for a) pregnancy announcement ideas and b) gender reveal ideas.
3. To complete the magic triumvirate - baby pictures. Do I need to say more? I think not. Babies are cute. People like cute. It's a no-brainer.
4. If you are unlucky enough to have none of the above (like me, boohoo - I got married before Facebook and Instagram, and in any case, my wedding was totally Pinterest-unworthy), try kitten pictures. Or puppies. Even though I have noticed a disturbing trend: cats seem to be more popular than dogs - wtf??!!

No cat is cuter than this. 

5. Selfies. It wasn't the Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year 2013 for nothing. Selfies are hugely popular, but I can't fathom why. What is so interesting about a person's face? Over and over again? Ah well, a wise person once said that you may not know how electricity works, but you use it anyway - so for the sake of being 'liked', let's all selfie away!
6. Cleavage. I have also noticed that a healthy amount of cleavage is very well liked - #sexsells.
7. Hashtags. It's all about location, location, location. The more hashtags you use, the more people will see your stuff - right? Who cares if some find it annoying? #results #yolo #instafamous
8. Add porn to it. Since we are on the subject of hashtags: Did you know that you can add "porn" to everything? Quite a few may have heard of #foodporn. I myself have used #skyporn. But it doesn't have to end there! There is #corgiporn. #shoeporn. Even - dare I say it? #pornporn. There are no limits! So porn away.

9. Shamelessly plug yourself on your blog in the hopes of more followers.
10. Be Justin Bieber. Did you know that the Biebs (do people still call him that?) is the most popular person on Instagram with over 12 million followers? Closely followed by Kim Kardashian and Rihanna. What has the world come to? #mindblown

Follow these tips and you will be the most 'liked' person in no time!

#farmgirl Miriam ;-)

Linking up with Whitney for #blogeverydayinSeptember, Liz from Fitness Blondie for The Hump Day Blog Hop and Nicole from Treasure Tromp

Bloglovin | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook