How Important is Popularity to You?

[Sydney]

Popularity is a debatable subject at best. Such a thought is often perceived in a negative manner, but is popularity all that bad as we make it out to be? Being popular does have its pros and cons, but it all boils down to one question: how important is popularity to you? If it is important, do you consider yourself to be a popular person? If you don't, do you strive to become a more popular person? If it isn't important, why not? I would like your responses to be genuine and to derive from your own personal opinions.​

 

[Dan]

Good thread Atty keep it up!
Anyway I simply detest "popularity" I can think of many instances where it is bad, it's cons are many, I believe it can turn people into mean bean machines, (mean people) it also gives them a false sense of accomplishment often. Popularity is fine if it's for example you have done something to improve society I think sure they deserve recognition for what they have done, just don't let it turn you into something else is the bottom line.

Quite frankly I would hate to be popular, it's a waste of time and stressful I imagine.Just because some entity is popular doesn't make it great at all as we have perhaps learned from looking at popular games, book people and many other. This ties into why I dislike the golden key awards, it doesn't do anything except essential rate people which in my opinion is disgusting.

 

[CynicalSquid]

I don't find popularity imporant at all and I don't want to be popular. I like being is smaller groups and only being friends with a handful of people. I personally think that's better than knowing a bunch of people because you don't know who you can trust.

 

[Sydney]

I don't find popularity imporant at all and I don't want to be popular. I like being is smaller groups and only being friends with a handful of people. I personally think that's better than knowing a bunch of people because you don't know who you can trust.

That would imply someone who's popular is exclusively mutual with several acquaintances. It's very possible for someone to be popular and know all of their friends on a deeper level. I believe this is a common misconception with popularity that, anyone who's popular must only have "friends" that they barely know, leaving room for backstabbing, drama, and mistrust.

 

[*M i d n a*]

I'm popular, and then I am not popular. I actually don't mind if I am or aint, it's something that comes with who and how you are.

 

[CynicalSquid]

That would imply someone who's popular is exclusively mutual with several acquaintances. It's very possible for someone to be popular and know all of their friends on a deeper level. I believe this is a common misconception with popularity that, anyone who's popular must only have "friends" that they barely know, leaving room for backstabbing, drama, and mistrust.

Define "popular" for me then.

 

[Sydney]

Define "popular" for me then.

On my own terms? Someone or something that has been heavily recognized by many people, and/or has contracted a considerable amount of attention.

The valid definition:

pop·u·lar
/ˈpäpyələr/
Adjective
Liked, admired, or enjoyed by many people or by a particular person or group.
(of cultural activities or products) Intended for or suited to the taste, understanding, or means of the general public rather than...
Synonyms
folk - demotic - public

 

[Mark]

Well people think the definition of being popular at school is being someone everyone looks up too and wants to be like.The popular kid will always try to fit in and ditch old friends for new cooler friends even if this means changing there whole personality.For example a child could be really clever in school then he/she will change their friends and their grades may begin to slip because doing work is not "cool".People who are like this are normally very popular but a small minority of the school can see through this and begin to hate them.

Being popular can cause lots of stress trying to stay the most popular kid in school and keep up their "reputation"
where as if you are just yourself in school you will actually be more popular in your own way and more liked as you are not fake and are just being yourself this is a lot easier and less stressful.School is bad enough and stressful enough without worrying about being popular.
It is a proved fact that the kid who was most popular in school is normally the most unhappy kid in life.

Basically its a lot better to just be accepted for who you are, than to be worshipped for someone your not.

 

[Ventus]

Excessive popularity, like any amount of drinking, ain't **** to me nam sayin. I used to be a loner in junior high school - I sat by the table closest to the exit door practically alone. However, I grew to make friends and those friends are guys I could trust no matter the situation. However, I knew a girl who was incredibly popular but around 70% of the people that fawned at her only wanted her for...well her body and not for HER. Sure, being popular around a large group of people doesn't necessarily mean you're going to be stabbed around by people you hardly know, but I think it's always better to have a diverse-enough group but not too large a group. It's nice to have safety nets with people but you don't want too many or too few; at any time the net could giv eup and you'll find yourself regretting many a choice. :I

 

[Curmudgeon]

I supposed it depends on why I'm popular. I'd rather be respected for who I am, not work harder to get more people to like me.

 

[Mellow Ezlo]

On my own terms? Someone or something that has been heavily recognized by many people, and/or has contracted a considerable amount of attention.

The valid definition:

pop·u·lar
/ˈpäpyələr/
Adjective
Liked, admired, or enjoyed by many people or by a particular person or group.
(of cultural activities or products) Intended for or suited to the taste, understanding, or means of the general public rather than...
Synonyms
folk - demotic - public

If you go by that, then I would consider myself to be popular. I don't have a lot of true friends, but I am liked and respected by a lot of people, simply because I am not afraid to be myself. I am not like the "cool kids", who have every kid in the school crowding around them, because they are liked for the wrong reason. They are liked because they try to be, whereas I just be my goofy self, and people seem to like me for it.

But that is also the reason I only have 4 or 5 true friends. They like me for who I am, not because I try to be like everybody else. They are the few people I truly relate to because I don't try to fit in. We are the ones that generally avoid the popular groups, and just sit at our own table and chat. And that is the main reason we are respected so well, because we hang out because we actually we actually like eachother for who we are. Everybody else just hangs with the group that has the most people in it, and it annoys me, because they miss out on what true friendship is like.

 

[Clank]

I strive to be the smart kid that everyone respects/admires, however I fail that goal quite often...

However no matter how often I fail, I always strive to achieve it, no matter what.

 

[Mercedes]

Well, popularity's important to me, really. I don't like being the centre of attention but, I try and be nice and want people to be the same so, I think it worked since I have a lot of friends I consider quite close. I hate being alone so I'd always try and make friends everywhere, and keep them too. At school I wasn't the most popular girl since I found the 'Popular Girl' clique boring, but, I could be stuck with anyone in a group and get on with them. I didn't have any enemies at least. Which was nice, made school a breeze! Was on first name terms with pretty much everyone I can remember, really.

 

[Azure Sage]

I don't think I've ever strived to be popular. I made lots of friends when I was in highschool; genuine friends. I wasn't particularly at the bottom of the social ladder, and I didn't really have any enemies. But I definitely didn't consider myself popular. I wasn't very involved in much going on at school. I only participated in Art Club, Yearbook, and Stage Crew, so I got to know a lot of people from those. But seeing as most of the "popular" kids were athletes, and I didn't care about sports, I didn't hang out around a lot of the "popular" kids. And that was fine with me. I'm not interested in being popular. As long as I have friends who care about me, that's more than enough.

 

[sailorgirl221]

I was never popular.. maybe in the 6th grade when I played football but really? no.. I didn't care about it the friends that I stuck with from the 7th-now grade... lol. they seen me in the bushes and got me out lol. (I used to hide in the bushes and read lol)
I didn't hold anything against the ones what were popular at all. only the later half of 12th grade because the varsity quarter back and I had some drama. but other than that the friends that I had in school were just gravy lol.