“Wow, this person who goes to my school got over 300 likes on their Instagram. Why can’t I be like that?”

Honestly, I did think about that before writing this. I wondered if I could be popular/ cool.

Popularity is not something defined by a general society. Only one can define it for themselves. One person may define it as having tons of friends, especially on social media. Another may define it as having a small group of friends regardless of how many people are friends with them on social media. In reality, social media friends / followers are how selfless famous people would say, “It’s just another number.”

Now, what does being popular get people? Well, the first is a lot of attention. People will recognize them in an instant. All of their actions could be under constant scrutiny simply because a lot of people know them. The next thing is expectations. Popular people’s characteristics and challenges are well known by the people around them, and of course, they’re going to judge.

Honestly, none of these things are bad depending on the person. Some people with over 1000 followers on Instagram really love the attention, and that is not a bad thing at all. People have used their popularity to do great things. But that doesn't mean the non-popular kids can't make a difference in the world.

Now, on the flip side, what about the people who aren’t as popular? What do they get? The non-popular kids do not get recognized as much for stuff they do. This could work both ways in terms of achievements or embarrassment. Do you see where I am getting at here? You typically want attention / be popular when you achieve something, but be distant when you do something embarrassing.

From my personal experience, more stupid stuff will happen that achievements and most people don't want to be humiliated. For non-popular kids like myself, humiliation is hard to achieve. That's life for you. Non-popular kids don't get as much attention, but again, that is not a bad thing at all.

However, both non-popular kids and popular kids have a similar trait. They both have the ability to find their close friends. Think about this for a minute. That one person with over 1000 followers on Instagram typically posts pictures with the same people, and that's also true with the person with only 100 followers.

This is something I notice on a regular basis. Everyone has that small group of friends that they always go to no matter how popular they are. That is the true goal. All you need in life is a small circle of people that will always have your back. It will be difficult to find that circle, but if you believe in yourself and be yourself, you will find it. It may be with two people or ten, but they will always be better than nothing. Treasure your circle.

Overall, popularity is an idea that one creates not society. Sure people will have more followers than others, but it is not seen as a life goal. Being popular or not has its ups and downs, but it is up to you to determine what they are. My positives and negatives could be different from your own. Everyone's different with their own wants or needs of attention. In the end, it's what you make out of the attention you get.

One thing for sure. You cannot change your own popularity in an instant. Like everything else in life, you must work for it.

And that's the true education of high school and college. Finding your true friends.