Culture

Our lives have been fully occupied by Like button. It becomes a strong virus contaminating our thoughts, as well as bringing us ecstasy. Like it our not, this icon will keep penetrating our life. Below are some obsessions for this button.

Munich-based artist Mario Klingemann created a real version of Like button as an art work. Whoever likes this “Like This” interaction box can press the Like button to leave a record. Just like the author said, this is totally a self-referential art work; the interaction (the counts of like) is the art work itself (we can see how many people did press the button). It’s such an ironic setting that vividly depicts how Like button literally become its own creature.

Pressing Like button doesn’t necessary mean we really like the person or things. It’s more like an impulse to show“I’ve seen/visited here”. Last year, Coca-Cola Village Amusement Part in Israel hold a marketing event using real life Like buttons to engage with teenagers. Visitors were provided an ID bracelet which stored each person’s Facebook account information. As they play in the park, the can literally “like” specific activities by touching the panel with their bracelets. These like actions will immediately be posted on their Facebook walls. I wonder how busy these visitors would be. But probably it’s a no-brainer job for these teenagers.

Like button’s icon status was pushed to a new high when people literally adopt it as their physical identity. Three months ago, a Israel couple named their daughter Like to prove how much they love this icon. Early on, rapper T-Pain even got a tattoo with Like button.

Seeing how Like button becomes such an ubiquitous icon flooding our life, I wonder what culture impact might come after when people are so obsessed with using an oversimplified click to replace real comments, making everyone become complacent for being “liked”?