"I was catching up with an old friend recently, and halfway through our coffee, he pulled out his phone to show me something. "Look at this guy from college," he said, scrolling through an Instagram profile packed with motivational quotes, gym selfies, and posts about "grinding 24/7." "He posts like five times a day about how successful he is," my friend laughed. "But didn't his business just close down?""
"These cryptic messages serve one purpose: getting people to ask "What's wrong?" in the comments. It's emotional manipulation dressed up as vulnerability. When I was running my startup, I went through some brutal betrayals. A co-founder walked away with proprietary information. A mentor I trusted badmouthed me to investors. Did I post about it? Hell no. Confident people handle their problems directly with the people involved."
Social media often rewards loud displays of success and curated confidence, but true confidence tends to be quiet and self-contained. People who constantly broadcast achievements, motivational slogans, and nonstop updates frequently seek external validation. Confident individuals avoid vague complaints designed to solicit sympathy or turn followers into informal therapists. They handle conflicts privately and reach out to actual friends for support rather than creating public drama. Personal betrayals and setbacks are dealt with directly rather than showcased for attention. Observing posting patterns can reveal whether someone seeks genuine connection or public affirmation.
Read at Silicon Canals
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