About what it really means “like” something and the types of “like” or like.

So, you log in to your Facebook profile or another social network and see something. In a matter of seconds you give it a “like”. So what is the meaning of these likes, the billions of likes that social media seems to have amassed? Liking something on social media or in the virtual world is mainly different from liking something offline or in the real world. You like something on social networks, mainly to share the idea or comment with friends. Liking something in the real world may not have this immediate social connotation because you can go shopping and you like a bag and there’s no one else to share it with, so you just buy it to show others. In some cases, you may like things but don’t buy, or you may like a place you want to visit in the future. So how do we analyze likes?

Likes and dislikes can be divided into several categories, including social taste. as possessive, as aesthetic, as familiarity, as novelty, and as agreement.

Likes on social media – This is mainly based on their social needs to share something and may overlap with agreement liking or possessive liking. But in this case, the genuine motivation to like something is triggered by the need to share it with friends and family. So the likes you click on social media are social likes and you appreciate something because you want to share your opinions, agree or appreciate something with others. Social likes can also be a real-world experience when you go shopping or dining and share your likes and choices with friends or people with you or online. There is an underlying social need that motivates this kind of liking. There may be a group feeling and you may like something that other people in your group or social circle also like.

possessive taste – Liking something can create possessiveness about that thing and you may like something and want to own it. Buying a bag or a shoe or even trying to date someone because you like them is determined by this type of possessiveness. You feel possessive of a man or woman and want to go out with him or her or even get married. You see a shoe. a bag or a house and you want to own this object because you cannot let go of your liking for this thing. Our impulse buying sprees are often driven by this kind of possessive taste. There is also a nuance of social need involved, as you may buy or own something to show off to your friends. Date a handsome man to make your friends jealous. Although possessiveness is finally marked mainly by personal needs and the need to possess something can have many psychological reasons. So possessive liking is also more psychologically complex than the other types of liking.

Aesthetic Taste – This is liking based on your sense of beauty, choice, preference. Each individual has their sense of what is beautiful and something or someone immensely attractive or beautiful to one person may not be so to another. Aesthetic Taste is when you can appreciate the beauty of something or someone without having to possess it. So when you can genuinely appreciate a piece of art, a piece of clothing or a piece of furniture and you like it. Your aesthetic taste can vary greatly from other people’s sense of beauty, so aesthetic taste is very personal, although of course a work of art can be appreciated by several people. at the same time, there is a sense of “collective aesthetic taste” that is shared by human beings.

family taste – This type of taste is associated with nostalgia, deja vu and similar phenomena. You may like someone because there is a sense of familiarity and it reminds you of someone else. Familiarity creates a bond and attachment and liking is associated with attachment. When a house looks familiar to you, you will be eager to rent or buy it; when a person seems familiar to you, you will be eager to become his friend. When a place looks familiar, you want to spend more time there. Familiarity creates an instant liking, although the liking can be fleeting or temporary at times. This is because some people can quickly get bored with the familiarity and need new or unique experiences.

taste of novelty – At the opposite end of the spectrum from familiarity is novelty. You instantly like something because it is different, unique, or novel in some way. You see a very unique design, it may not appeal to your sense of aesthetics, but it fascinates you and you think you like it. Sometimes a science experiment can give you products you immediately like, even though it may be a completely unexpected result. . So novelty creates curiosity, fascination and ultimately you can like it for its uniqueness.

agreement of pleasure – We finally come to agree that individuals like something or someone with whom they agree. You may completely agree with a comment or article or feel that the sentiments expressed are something you can relate to, then you will really like what is said or written. You can agree with the policies of a political candidate and decide to vote for him, because you like him. Agreement liking is actually a more stable form of liking because when you agree with someone on basic points, it creates a kind of stability in your liking for this person. People’s opinions and basic views in life tend to remain unchanged, so agreeing with someone else’s views or opinions would be a taste of stable support. When you like a group or its cause and decide to join it, that’s liking for the deal.

Let me add a few final words here. Taste is quite different from, say, attraction. You may find a person physically attractive, but you may find it difficult to genuinely like that person because, despite the attraction, they may not follow your sense of aesthetics or lack novelty or familiarity, etc. So liking and attracting are not the same thing. You may like a person very much, but you may not be attracted to them physically, romantically, or emotionally. You may like a lot of people professionally and like your colleagues and the people you work with, but you are not attracted to your colleagues. Of course, there are sometimes blurred lines in human relationships, but there are usually distinct and different psychological dynamics for love, attraction, etc.