Do you care about being popular?

[itsjustlife75]

Do you care about whether or not people consider you to be "popular"? Also would you say that you are a "popular" person?

[Kyren]

I don't need the approval of others to feel happy in life. If anything, being popular means that you have more stress on your plate that you don't need to satisfy your fans' demands, giving up personal time for yourself to keep up with your popularity and such, all of this for either money and/or attention. I understand there are people who love and crave the attention of others a lot but there's only so much one person can handle with a large enough fan base. As long as I'm receiving affection and love from my girlfriend, my family and friends, that's all I really need to be happy!

Honestly, I prefer to have good quality alone time with the people I care about over having to constantly please a fan base. It's like what many people have said before, "It's quality over quantity" and I couldn't agree more! Being popular doesn't mean your life will be better.

[UnaHeley89]

Perfectly put.

[Jaximus-Lion]

Had the chance in school to be the popular kid and there is always expectation from other people (other students in this case) and it was overrated expectations, not even realistic ones. To get pressured! sure it might work so i can be better in things, but other wise ! to be popular now days with the crazy social medias and how people believe every single lie or story just because it's posted online! No thanks, am doing good minding my life and business and am happy about it, no need to be recognized just for doing what i like.

[FlutteringFeelings]

When I was younger I cared about being popular and having a lot of friends. As I got older my interest on wanting to be the girl that every guy flees to, big birthday clique on my birthday all changed through my experiences. You outgrown a specific mentality and the littlest things that used to interest you changes.

I now worry about money, finding someone to settle with, and my education. It may sound quick for someone who is 19 but I’ve found my priorities and wants at a young age and being in a big crowd is far from what I’m interested in.

[Fitness-Fanatic]

I don't care about being popular. But when I was at school i was very popular, because I was the one who stood up for vulnerable people who were being bullied. I was a feisty child and teenager. And I always intervened if other kids were bullied.

I'm popular at work , because my work colleagues turn to me if they need help or advice

[loveisbeautiful]

I can honestly say I've never been popular nor have I ever had the desire to be.

[ak667]

I do if I'm honest, a little bit. But not so much for self-image. I just find that being popular means you have a social event to attend to every weekend, can network and meet so many people, and find so many opportunities (even career opportunities as well as love interests and so forth).

All kinds of doors open up if you can grow an army of acquaintances and friends who really like you and want you to come to their invitations. I've even been treated to dinners that cost thousands of dollars with fancy champagne for free by just befriending the right types of people (an owner of an Oyster bar who really took interest in me and invited me to his restaurant and treated me). And lifelong VIP access to a night club (normally costs $50 each time to get access to VIP lounge, but I got it free for the res of my life through my connections with the owner and staff). I've had lucrative job offers as well, and met so many nice people along the way.

>> Also would you say that you are a "popular" person?

Not so much these days. I've mellowed down a great deal after marriage and kind of lost interest in knowing so many people that I have a birthday party invitation practically every weekend. Also most of the people I got to know in my 20s when I might have been the most "popular" have mostly moved or gotten married, and it's more difficult to hang out these days. I think I still have the basic kind of skills down like the ability to befriend and charm complete strangers if I wanted to really be popular again. I got a lot of practice at doing that before. But these days I don't have as much interest; I'm a bit more settled and not so much of a free spirit anymore looking to hang out with brand new groups of people and go on adventures with them.

[ak667]

It even helps for career as I see, since it's often not the most skilled people in the antisocial aspects of the job that get promoted to the highest positions. It's often the people who command some level of popularity among their colleagues. So I see it as very useful to develop the social skills and appeal required to become popular for all sorts of aspects in life, from finding the love of your life to being promoted to the top positions to having all kinds of opportunities presented that you never anticipated.

But I see it as a "skill". How many friends you have is irrelevant as I see it. It's more about how many friends you can have, if you want.

[ak667]

The one kind of angle I have that helps with the whole popularity game is being biracial. I used to think that was a huge disadvantage until I overcame my shyness and found so many people interested in where I'm from, why I look so unusual, etc. And then whenever I went to a new place, I'd find so many "voluntary tour guides" inviting me to tour me around, meet their friends, and treating me to all sorts of stuff for free. So that biracial sort of thing started to become really useful -- not a handicap as I used to think.

[rebber_gurl_9]

lol no offence but its a typical Q from a 21 year old. Being concerned about popularity? lol when you grow up out of the whole highschool/college type mindset you'll see it was all immature and silly.

As cliche and overused as it is its honestly true that you HAVE to be secure in yourself to be a happy content person. I have learned that as I have gotten more mature. I was considered one of the "popular girls" in my highschool but now I look back at it all I just roll my eyes and cringe at myself when I think how much importance I placed on my ego and image back then and places more importance on the amount of "friends" I had father than the real close friends I maybe took foregranted and should had treasured more.

[Barrabus_the_Free]

The average person is below the level of moron. They're barely intelligent enough to be capable of pouring piss out of a boot. Their opinion is of less importance to me than that of a dog I might meet. I greet random dogs and offer my hand to them so they can sniff it and get to know me. Random asshole people generally get a scowl and a growl, unless I'm in a good mood and have decided to play with the idiots, or I want something from them.

With random assholes I'm probably not popular. With people who have gotten to know me... I probably am. I know that the guys who currently work for me like doing so, otherwise they would have left to a different crew. I don't really hang out with many people, but I must be popular with those I do hang out with.

[MikeAndMolly]

Sometimes it's important to be popular. If you're a politician or you want advancement in your company, having lots of friends is usually more important than doing good work.

Popularity is a type of power. If lots of people like you, you can possibly use that influence to achieve something good, like encouraging those people to vote on an issue they might otherwise ignore, or recruiting volunteers to help with something.

In that light, yes, I care about being popular because it affects how much good I can do in the world.

[lumos]

Not popular per se but of course I like it when people like me, it's not a necessity for me to feel good about myself or anything but it just makes working and interacting with people more pleasant. And while I might be feisty online, face to face I do tend to do my best to get along with everyone because I don't like drama. I guess I'm sort of in the middle, I'm neither popular or unpopular, just sort of there. I don't really care if others consider me "popular", I prefer it if people just like me as a person without linking it to some sort of status hierarchy.

[InTimoreDei]

Those that care about popularity are among the weakest of society. They live their days trying to please others and be within circles full of narcissistic and toxic personalities.

Although I always had friends, I was part of the outcasts and still am. During highschool I was part of the punks and communists. I maintained friendship with them in my early years in university. Then later on I was part of a small religious society.

Not once did I care about "popularity" (still don't). I'm happy with my small circle of friends that actually care about me.

[BrittBratt2416]

Maybe in high school but once thats over, being the most popular kid in school doesn't get you anywhere in the real world. It doesn't get you a job, it doesn't pay your bills, doesn't put food on the table or a roof over your head. So no i don't think people care about being popular, but i do think people want companionship from others from time to time.

[BlueWalker]

Being "popular" only applies to people from the age of 12 through 18. After high school it becomes irrelevant. I couldn't care less about any kind of social ranking. It doesn't apply to me. Individuality and quality of character is what is most important. Being "popular" assures neither.

[jennifer_bloom]

I guess I like it when people view me in high esteem but I don't base my life on other people's opinions of me - I know there are many things in life that are more important than a good reputation. I also like having options socially and being able to interact with people I like and admire so popularity helps with that but I try not to let it get to my head cause I don't want to become a superficial person who is focused only on surface physical qualities

[Omaewamo]

Nope. If I could put effort into caring less, I would. I don't need outside approval to know who I am or for validation. I want few friends, and a family. Quality over quantity. If i ever DO become popular for whatever reason, I would own it, acknowledge it, and do my best to stay out of the spotlight. Popularity can be good, but it can also be a poison.

[Alice2398]

NOOOOOOO!!! I never have nor never will. I can't imagine anything worser then everyone knowing my business, being the centre of attention and people acting fake around me because they want me to like them. I find the whole idea of popularity amongst people so stupid.

[ryancg]

I was popular for approximately 6 months back in 8th grade. I never really cared much about being popular and that's sort of part of what made me popular in 8th grade, I was the ne'er-do-well from an inner-city school who somehow ended up transferring to a private school full of a bunch of rich sheltered kids.

Side note. You remember that show The OC? I related to that show so hard. Except in my experience, the other kids thought I was super cool, whereas the Ryan in that show got looked down upon by most of the rich kids.

[crazy8000]

Never cared if I'm popular, the funny thing is that people tends to get attracted to me for different reasons and they want to have me around, a lot of them even try to become friends, have always been extremely selective whom if anyone since I never really had a need for friends.
Have seen a lot of people that are the opposite and struggling to get friends. amongst females some of those only get those that are after sex otherwise aren't they intended in them, those females tends to loose confidence and selfasteam when they doesn't get real friends and get even more problems to get a partner since they get stuck in getting attracted to shit and scare away those they are really after even get a hard time to get attracted to something else than shit, they become self destructive.

[Prof_Don]

I will admit to a degree, yes. I like to be liked and accepted. Im a sociable person by nature.

But I won't suck up to people and do token actions to "gain points" with someone to gain their acceptance. Any "popularity" that I may have, has to be organic.

[Safa01]

I don’t care. I am how I am, and try to be the best I can be. I am not gonna change for someone else to like me, I am not a follower, so take me or leave me. I care about being the best I can be, having people in my life who are for real, being kind, etc. But being popular for th sake of it is just not worth it or important at all to me.

[andreasderjuengere]

I do care. If I get popular myself one day - in a wider, public sense - there must be something wrong with me. It would indicate that I am acceptable or comparable to the average majority of people. I don't seek ''average'' for myself. Sure, to be liked by others is a good feeling and it often helps to work out good results (socially, or economically). But overall harmony also causes stagnation and sloth.

[personwew]

As long as I'm not being bullied or anything, I couldn't care any less about status. I do however know and can talk to anyone in my class whenever I want. It's kind of like being popular but on a more personal level with none of the status bullshit.

I like my school.

[ElissaIsBelgian]

Honestly, it would feel nice but it would feel odd. Growing up transgender and being overtly feminine didn’t make me as popular as it made me a bullied kid. At this point as an adult I’m a happy person and I forgave the bullies. It didn’t leave scars. So no, I don’t care about being popular. People who love me will love me for me, not for superficial reasons but for the core of my soul!

[StarsInTheEyes]

No. I couldn't care less about popularity. I just want to be myself. It's better to have a few real people in life, than a lot people who are around you because you're popular - and the vicious circle goes on.