What's The Point of Using Social Media as a Greeting Card


 ​A carousel of heartwarming photos. Heart emojis. Profound quotes. A haiku about relationships.

​On social media, everyone is a poet, whether or not they paid attention in literature class. How else will their followers know how deep and empathetic they really are?

​Once upon a time, social media was about making friends, posting photos of food, and reveling in cats doing funny things. Now, it has evolved into a pretentious sludge of superficial relationships. 

It is all about public displays of love, even if real life is the polar opposite.

​Celebrities especially take great pains to show how relatable they are. It is essential for them to show just how much they are like you—except, of course, for the millions in their bank accounts. 

From wearing sweatpants and au naturel makeup to dancing to the latest viral trend, some celebrities will go to great lengths to connect. Even if it means entering a kitchen to cook a meal they have no idea how to prepare.

​But nothing is as cringeworthy as using social media to post long essays on how much they admire that "special person" in their lives. 

Whether it is a parent, a partner, or a pet, no one is safe from a nauseating post about the special place they hold in a celebrity’s life.


​They may never post a single photo together normally, but as soon as they need to be "seen" by the public for an upcoming movie, album, or TV show, they suddenly need to remind the world how family-oriented they are. 

The pet that doesn't even recognize them anymore is suddenly getting treats and cuddles. The parent who never got a call on their birthday now gets a ten-photo gallery. The distant partner is suddenly showered with PDA.

​So, what is the point of using social media as a greeting card?

​Parents are a call away. The life partner is sitting right next to them. The pet is being walked by the house help. But the celebrity? 

They’ve already reached hundreds of impressions in minutes. Thousands of likes later, they are finally ready to move on to solo posts about how awesome their lives are.

​What is with the "once in a blue moon" greeting card post? The paragraph of sweet nothings written by a social media handler that doesn't even capture the celebrity's tone?

​If a tribute is posted and the person it’s for isn't the one reading it, was it ever meant for them? Probably not.


 In the world of social media greeting cards, the recipient is always the audience, and the message is always: "Look at me."

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