I recently started my IELTS preparation, so I downloaded an app which is known to nearly every IELTS candidate in China. On this app, you can find the latest IELTS test items, answer the questions and post your answers, so that everybody can see them. Anyway, I did one of the speaking tests in part one and shared my answers. The next day, I noticed that someone liked my answers, which gave them more exposure. As time went by, more and more people liked my answers. The number went from 10 to 100, and now it just reached 12,000.

I would have had nothing to talk about today if my spoken English were/was really that outstanding. The truth is, my answer is absolutely average (humm, maybe a little bit more organized than others', but that's it). How come it received that many likes? In retrospect, I recalled some tiny interesting details.

First of all, I posted the answers late at night, which is the time when people are trying to review their studies instead of practicing. That's probably why my answers got so much exposure and were not drowned out by new answers. Secondly, before the answers reached 200 likes, I noticed that the views and likes did not really match up. Many people listened to my answers but only one third of them would give a like. Thirdly, after the likes reached 1000, the likes started catching up to the views/ the views and likes gradually started to match up. It took me nearly 10 days to get 1000 likes, but less than 10 days to get 12,000 likes.

Since I'm on my winter vacation, I've had tons of time to observe this interesting phenomenon. This reminds me that even though/ even if we're reluctant to admit it, it's human nature to swim with the tide. People who are in the minority tend to think twice before speaking out, but people in the majority can always easily raise their voices even when they are wrong. So my takeaway from (*my take on) this experience is that if you want people's appreciation or affirmation, you'd better appreciate yourself first. Because not everyone can get lucky every time, like I did the other day, to have the perfect timing to "get exposed" and build that foundation of the mass appreciation. Aside from working hard and improving yourself, I would consider it a good trick for building up confidence/ a good confidence-building trick. Hope everyone gets the appreciation they deserve!

Have a nice day :)