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Jonathan Franzen's Speech: Liking Is For Cowards

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Liking is for cowards. Go for what hurts
In every aspect of life, the choices one makes will, in some sort, have an impact on one’s future. In todays society we are increasingly spending more and more of our time on social medias. Instead of sharing our thoughts and life events over a game of cards, this current generation tends to share personally feelings through the Internet - but what is the outcome of this? How does the social media affect our lives? What are the consequences of social media’s existence?
These are merely a portion of the critical question that emerge from perusing Jonathan Franzen 's speech, 'Liking is for Cowards. Go for What Hurts ' from year 2011.
Jonathan Franzen points out the fact that social medias are …show more content…

Throughout the speech, Jonathan Franzen highlights the fact that is unhealthy to live in a world of lies. ”This is why a world of liking is ultimately a lie”. Jonathan Franzen cannot stand the fact that people are too afraid to show their own personality, their own look, even their own identity. Additionally, Jonathan Franzen emphasizes that the world of social medias is a world of narcissism, and it is not a stable world. People might hide behind their screens with the illusion of a perfect life, but at some point in life, one has to walk out the cave and experience the real world. Jonathan Franzen knows that quitting the social medias is not just a walk in the park for the youth. “We can all handle being disliked now and then because there’s such an infinitely big pool of potential likers. But to expose your whole self, not just the likable surface, and to have it rejected, can be catastrophically painful.” The fact that Jonathan Franzen is aware of the emotions that are bounded to the social media makes the audience feel safe. To motivate the audience, even more, Jonathan Franzen elaborates on his love for birds. Not just “like for” birds, but the love for them. Jonathan Franzen explains that the differences between “liking” and loving lay in the fact that social medias are not something you strive for - it is not a passion. And what is the point of spending time on something you do not

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