Are we all attention seekers?

[SomariFeyWright 776]

To a degree, all human beings want and need some degree of attention. As the great Turnabout Storm said, companionship is not technically a necessity, but it's a heavy mechanical force in keeping us going.

 

Everyone: Extroverts, introverts, shy or bubbly, loud or quiet, doesn't want to be ignored. We want to be noticed to some degree, and the last thing most people would want would be to never be looked at or acknowledged. When we grow needy for such things, it is very likely that we may go out of our way to find attention in some way.

 

This is NOT a bad thing. It's just natural.

 

My opinion, overall, is that yes, we, naturally, are attention-seekers.

[Satsuki Kiryuin 1,155]

 

What can I say? I live for the Applause.~

 

Anyways, I honestly don't understand why being someone who seeks attention is considered a loser or just someone who was neglected as a child and whatnot, as some people just enjoy the attention. Not everyone is the same, and some people don't enjoy being the centre of it all, while others enjoy the glory of being it. I, for one, actually do enjoy being the centre of attention. I love being praised and complimented, as an entertainer. I try my very best to make my music as good as quality as I could possibly do (but sometimes I get lazy.). I don't really see why it's a bad thing, because I love it. <3

[MagicalStarRain 599]

To some extent, we all desire some amount and form of attention.  There are just some people who seek it more than others, sometimes to the point of narcissism. 

[Cyan Blue 946]

I try to not be one but honestly I am one.

 

And I'm not a shock jock or anything, most of the time.

[XxConfusedUnicornxX 834]

Well... Everyone has their moments, right?

[AppleGearRising 526]

Having someone pay attention to you is more or less having them reinforce their acknowledgment of your existence. We all crave to be noticed by others because regardless of what anyone says; we all want to feel important in some way or other, even if it's just to one person it makes all the difference in the world.

[IHasTwi 31]

That's why we joined this site. To get some form of stable interaction.

 

I sometimes get really lonely. Not at home really, I try to avoid attention there, but at school, I'm kind-of that kid who's quiet around most and distant from the kids I don't really know. Occasionally, I may crack a joke in front who's in the class regardless of who they are. Sometimes I feel a bit worthless, but really, whenever I get upset about society, I get over it quickly.

 

'Cause I have all the goodness from my fandoms and you guys~

 

So, yes, to an extent, I am an attention-seeker, and everyone should be.

You act just like I do when I'm at school. I try to stay quiet at school mostly to focus on schoolwork and I...don't really have much to say, reallly to other students other than my friends. But even then I have to think up of something to say. 

 

I guess, subconciously another reason I joined MLP Forums is for people to my voice on certain topics, to try to break my shell a bit. To be honest it's benn working!  In some cases, it's perfectly normal to bring attention to yourself. We are humans after all.

 

But if you see me cooped up to my computer (a bad habit, I know) then I DON'T want attention, lol.

[Neutrino 47]

The short answer is: yes.

 

We are social animals, and need interaction and praise.

[Onylex 2,837]

I think everybody both wants and needs attention whether it be bad, good, a little or a lot.
Some prefer more then others which in my opinion, depends on the type of personality you have.

There have actually been studies that show if someone is not given any attention at all, they do an average of one out of two things.

They either one; fall into depression or two, become "numb" to a lot if not all of their emotions.

People are social creatures and need attention, I just think that the term "attention whore" comes from people who don't like and or are possibly jealous of people whom do get and seek a lot of attention.

Edited February 2, 2014 by Onylex

[Neutrino 47]

Talk about interaction (or lack thereof) sensless tests have been done -where you could not see hear feel anything- without senses everyone in the test basically went insane within ten minutes.

 

On the same spectrum, people who have all the attention in a group generally (depending on how they react) develop social problems. Justin Beiber is a perfect example of this.

[Neon Fire 473]

Sure, everyone loves attention, but then there's those people who do things that are annoying in order to get it.  Like posting 15+ pictures a day on Facebook saying how they're "ugly" just to get comments.

[Castle Bleck 19,320]

In the words of Tim Curry:

 

[Wayzer 1,418]

Well kinda true I guess. Most people love attention. Only a select few don't. Though most prefer positive attention I guess!

[Katana 298]

Why did you make this topic?

There ya go.

 

It's not entirely shameful, and many of us would do the same as that guy with his pants on fire - if we knew that we would get 4 million views on YouTube. Honestly, you might be surprised at what types of people are ultimately just seeking attention in dumb ways - even the cute girl who you never see talking to anyone.

[Aura 120]

Attention seeking itself requires proper meaning.  If you're simply looking for the attention just to be in the lime light, you're gonna end up driving people away.  Sometimes attention seeking can actually be for something much more subtle like wanting someone to understand you.  This second purpose is something I feel like I am doing --and why I don't often speak up anywhere.  If you know me well enough and think carefully about various things I say, you might find something else within it.

[Horsy 193]

Why did you make this topic?

 

Actually I made it because this question was bugging me for a while. With every question we ask we seek attention and there is nothing bad about that.  Thank you all for your answers.

Edited February 2, 2014 by TheWiseHippo

[Star Shine 5]

I seek a lot of attention. I dunno why... XD. I mean, I love being in the middle of attention for something good. Like maybe dancing, singing, music( my hobbies) blah blah blah........

[Rift enchanted 380]

I gotta agree with you. sometimes I can want a lot of attention. But sometimes the need of attention can get a bit out of hand. like post counts. There's no point in getting 1000 posts if all of them are like "oh hey guys" or "yeah what he said." The forums are a place where you actually put thought into things. Anyways I don't think its very easy t stop humankind's starvation for attention.

[MintyStarshine 75]

I think there's a difference between being social and being an attention seeker. An attention seeker wants only the spotlight on themselves, eagerly seeking out anyone who will stroke their ego by showering them in compliments. When the compliments don't come in very much or have slowed to a trickle, the person will do something to draw more attention to themselves in order to get more compliments. If someone is being social, there is a back-and-forth exchange of social behaviors between two people in equal parts that doesn't revolve around one side.

 

There's also a difference between posting a selfie and throwing a fit or moping around when someone doesn't give it a "Like" on facebook/tumblr.

 

The difference is how selfish a person appears to be and how much of a brat in their actions. If you want to post a picture of your new hairdo or even just cause, I don't mind. However, if you send me multiple messages demanding why I didn't give it a heart or thumbs up, then I'm going to get a bit peeved.

[MoscowUnicorn 1]

Indeed, we are born with the "motivation" but that doesn't mean that we are reallly only searching for attention.

[Moonbutt 87]

I can only speak for myself but I like to think I am, but not really wanting to be a part of a group. I like to instead inspire others that being unique and not like others will make them think differently. When I notice people staring or looking around at each other in public, it means they're wanting attention, in my opinion. I never look at anyone from my anxiety and I find most people boring. I think of my destination and what I want to do when I'm out in public. I also like to sit far away from anyone who could stare at me, especially when I'm eating. Creeps me out, sorry.

[Scream Lucid Dream 103]

People use the word "attention seeker" or "attention whore" as an insult. I Think we are all born "attention whores" because we are social creatures and all of us are seeking for attention or bragging even those who call others "attention whores". What do you guys think?

Nailed it. I could not have put it better myself.

[DubWolf 17,229]

Sort of, not really. I like getting attention after I've done something successful , but I don't actively seek it.

[Invincible 2,091]

Maybe to a certain degree. I certainly care what SOME people think of me, and i desire the attention (sometimes) of said people for various reasons. This has nothing to do with 'whoring', i'm not trying to gain attention for the sake of getting attention - that's just circular reasoning... getting attention for the purpose of getting attention? If i'm getting attention i'll exploit it for various reasons, it could be to engage in various social interactions with another, to take part in a conversation if i feel i have something to contribute, etc.

 

Maybe some people enjoy getting attention for the sake of being looked at, maybe it's some sort of insecurity or a feeling for a need to be looked after or watched. I don't consider myself to be that way.

[Samurai Equine 50,890]

Sometimes, I just don't know if I'm an attention seeker or not.

 

I like to think of myself as a pretty wise and insightful guy.

I'm smart.

I've got thoughts on LOTS of subjects, often pretty deep thoughts.

But I don't know what to do with those thoughts...

 

Sometimes my anxiety clicks in and I can't bring myself to start a topic based on my thoughts about something. I fear there might not be enough discussion value, or maybe I'm not reaching out to the right kind of crowd, or any random thought like that.

Sometimes I don't feel like replying to every discussion topic I see because I'm afraid my replies and my thoughts will just get lost among the many other replies.

 

I really would like to share my thoughts in a way or in a place where people will be focused more on me. Not that I'm trying to be an attention whore or anything. Really, what I'd like to do is be a bit of an entertainer or a critic or something. Sharing my musings on stuff would just be bonus content. But I don't really have any of the means or resources to do that. No high-end camera, no props, not a big enough wardrobe for costume changes, hardly any musical talent, not enough artistic talent... Heck, I don't even know what my gimmick would be. There is all ready plenty of critics, reactors, animators, musicians, etc... What can I do that hasn't been done a million times by now?

Edited February 4, 2015 by Samurai Equine