Social Media: Do I Share to Give or to Get?

This is a question I’ve been reflecting on for a while. Ever since I started writing articles and sharing on social media, I check my intention. Am I doing this to get attention, or to give something to people? What’s the difference, and does it even matter?

The Social Media Question We Rarely Ask

In a world where it’s so easy to publish something, we sometimes don’t even stop to think: Why am I doing this? What do I expect? What result am I looking for?

These questions may sound unnecessary, but the answers shape not only the content we create, but also how we feel afterward.

The Trap of “Sharing to Get”

I realized that if I post on social media to please someone or to get more likes, it completely shifts my direction. It’s as if I’m doing it expecting something in return.

This mindset makes my heart feel empty and dark. In the long run, another danger emerges: you become dependent on reactions. If someone doesn’t like or comment, it affects your mood.

This approach is extremely harmful to mental health. It makes us subservient — we share not what matters, but what will be liked. We start serving algorithms and trends that quickly fade. We sell and lose ourselves at the same time.

It becomes a vicious cycle: I want to be liked → I post what will attract attention → my ego grows and wants more → someone who doesn’t have what I have feels bad → they start chasing the same illusory ideal.

A vicious circle where nothing ever seems to be enough.

Behind all of this stands an entire industry built on human psychology — and largely manipulative.

The Global Cost

This isn’t just a personal problem — it’s a global crisis. Children and teenagers who spend more than 3 hours a day on social media face double the risk of mental health problems, including symptoms of depression and anxiety. Data from the World Health Organization in 2024 shows a sharp rise in problematic social media use among adolescents, with girls more affected than boys.

A 2024 Pew Research Center study reveals that 48% of teenagers now consider social media harmful to their peers — a jump from 32% just two years earlier. In 2024, the U.S. Surgeon General called for warning labels on social platforms, and New York City classified them as a public health threat.

Constant comparison makes us feel like we’re in a never-ending race where someone else always has the lead. The result? Anxiety, depression, dissatisfaction. Algorithms are designed to keep us scrolling, not to make us happy — and young people, whose brains are still developing, are the most vulnerable.

The Freedom of “Sharing to Give”

But what’s the other path?

I noticed that when I clear my mindset and tell myself “I’m writing this to help someone. To inspire. To be useful. I’m writing to give” — my mental state is completely different.

I feel whole, as if I have a light that I give away without diminishing what I have. Giving itself recharges us and somehow feels like enough. The outcome no longer depends on external reactions, but on the inner sense that we’ve done something meaningful with a pure intention, without manipulation.

But What Do We Do With Expectations?

As human beings, we’re wired to do something and expect a result. Like planting a seed and waiting for it to sprout. That’s natural. The question is: what result are we looking for?

Likes and comments are the surface layer. The real result is different: How many people has quietly inspired what I share? Will it improve something in someone’s daily life? Will it be a light that carries positive change? These things often remain hidden, but they are the most real and have the longest-lasting effect.