Liking likes

Something has dawned on me when it comes to social media that is bothering me. Social media is an outlet that people are supposed to use to share pictures and information that is going on in their life with the people around them. What I have noticed, however, is more people are concerned with how many "likes" they get on posts than the actual information shared.

Why do people care SO much about how many likes they get on Instagram or on Facebook? I am even guilty of this and I'm not sure why I care so much. The people who are truly my friends will see what I post, like it and actually care about what I post. Why isn't that enough for people?

I met someone here at school and we found each other on Instagram so I said "oh! you should follow me!" And he looked at me and this person asked me how many followers I had and how many "likes" I average on my photos and when I told them, they said they wouldn't follow me because I didn't average over 80 likes. . . This is something I don't understand why people care so much.

So, fellow bloggers, what do you think? Do you agree? Disagree? Share your thoughts and opinions, I'm very curious.