In this paper I offer a philosophical analysis of the act of ‘liking’ a post on social media. First, I consider what it means to ‘like’ something. I argue that ‘liking’ is best understood as a phatic gesture; it signals uptake and anoints the poster’s positive face. Next, I consider how best to theorise the power that comes with amassing many ‘likes’. I suggest that ‘like’ tallies alongside posts institute and record a form of digital social capital. Finally, I consider whether ‘likes’ have ultimately improved online discourse. I argue that while the ‘liking’ function itself is relatively innocuous, public ‘like’ tallies introduce a corrosive motivation to online communication. By making the prospect of increased social capital perpetually salient to us, they encourage us to prioritise high levels of engagement over meaningful engagement.

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在本文中，我对在社交媒体上“点赞”帖子的行为进行了哲学分析。首先，我考虑一下“喜欢”某事意味着什么。我认为“喜欢”最好理解为一种表达姿态。它标志着吸收和涂抹海报的积极面孔。接下来，我考虑如何最好地理论化积累许多“喜欢”所带来的力量。我建议“喜欢”与帖子一起记录并记录一种数字社会资本。最后，我考虑“喜欢”是否最终改善了在线话语。我认为，虽然“点赞”功能本身相对无害，但公众的“点赞”记录会给在线交流带来腐蚀性的动机。通过使增加社会资本的前景对我们永远重要，他们鼓励我们将高水平的参与优先于有意义的参与。