They say kindness makes the world go round.

And I agree, 100%.

I’m all for spreading positivity and doing good, but sometimes, I can’t help feeling like kindness has become a marketing strategy these days.

There are a lot of people out there doing good deeds, with a catch: they need to capture it on camera, and they need to broadcast it on social media.

What for? Most of the time, it’s for clout!

It’s like the act of kindness itself isn’t enough anymore; it needs to be validated with likes, shares, and comments.

But this raises the question—what kind of personality traits drive someone to turn their good deeds into a spectacle for social media?

Let’s dive into the six most common traits of these digital do-gooders and uncover what’s really going on beneath the surface.

1) Attention-seeking

First up, let’s talk about attention-seeking.

People who often update their social  media feed with their latest charitable act are often driven by a need for attention and validation.

It’s not just about doing good; it’s about being seen doing good.

It’s the likes, comments, and shares that accompany each post that they crave, as if the act itself is incomplete without public acknowledgment.

It’s as though the real reward isn’t the difference they’ve made but the number of people who notice and applaud them for it.

This need for attention can stem from various sources, like insecurity or a desire to fit in with a certain social group.

By broadcasting their good deeds, they’re essentially saying, “Look at me, I’m a good person!”

The irony is, while they might be doing something good, the motivation behind it can often feel a bit hollow, making you wonder if they’d still be as charitable without the audience.

2) Constant validation

This is closely connected to my previous point. The need for attention often goes hand in hand with a need for validation.

I remember a friend of mine, let’s call her Jane.

Jane was always the first one to help when someone was in need. Sounds great, right?

Here’s the twist.

Jane would never miss an opportunity to document her good deeds on social media. Whether it was feeding the homeless or volunteering at the local animal shelter, it was always accompanied by a post and a call for praise.

See what I mean?

For Jane, it wasn’t about doing good. It was about feeling good – about herself.

She needed that constant stream of validation from her social media followers to feel valued and successful.

And that’s the point—constant validation.

These individuals often rely on external recognition to boost their self-esteem, rather than finding it within themselves.

3) Superficiality

Oh, the world of filters and hashtags.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of making everything look picture perfect, isn’t it?

But when people only do good deeds for social media clout, there tends to be a certain lack of depth.

This is what we call superficiality.

When everything is about creating an image, the importance shifts from the act itself to how it appears.

The focus is more on the aesthetics of the deed rather than the deed itself.

The homeless person they fed? Just a prop in their Instagram story. The beach they cleaned? A mere backdrop for their #savetheplanet post.

Sadly, it’s not about making a difference in the world; it’s about making their social media profiles look good.

It’s not about the impact of their actions on others; it’s about the impact of their posts on their follower count.

The truth hurts, but there it is – a glossy surface with little substance beneath. That’s superficiality for you.

4) Competitiveness

Another trait that people who do good deeds for social media clout often exhibit is competitiveness. And trust me, it’s not the healthy type.

Have you noticed?

They’re not just trying to be good; they’re trying to be the best.

Always striving to outdo others, their good deeds become a competition rather than acts of kindness.

I mean, who runs a marathon for charity and then brags about how much more they raised compared to others? Or who compares the number of likes on their volunteering post to someone else’s?

Exactly.

It’s about winning the imaginary ‘Good Samaritan’ race in their social media world, not about the genuine desire to contribute.

And that’s what competitiveness in this context looks like.

More about one-upping others and less about making a difference.

5) Lack of empathy

Here comes a bit of a shocker.

You’d think that people doing good deeds, even for social media clout, would have a high level of empathy, right?

They’re helping others after all.

However, it’s not always the case.

You see, true empathy involves understanding and sharing the feelings of others.

It’s about putting oneself in someone else’s shoes and genuinely feeling for them.

So what happens when someone is more focused on capturing the perfect shot for their post than on the person they’re supposedly helping?

That connection is lost. That understanding and shared feeling become secondary to the likes and shares they might get on their post.

I remember watching a video of a lady giving a meal to a homeless man.

The man was grateful, of course, but you could also see that he felt uncomfortable being filmed.

The lady didn’t seem to notice this and continued to smile widely at him and at the camera.

And this is exactly what I mean by a lack of empathy.

If she truly cared about the person she was helping, she’d notice how he was feeling.

She’d take care to give him the dignity he deserved, instead of giving the world a glimpse of his unfortunate state.

6) Self-centered

At the heart of it all, what we’re really talking about here is a case of self-centeredness.

When the focus shifts from helping others to gaining social media clout for oneself, the real essence of doing good is lost.

Instead of making a difference in someone’s life, the priority becomes making a difference in their own social media statistics.

Other human beings become downgraded to merely being fodder for content.

Far from being a selfless act, giving in this way becomes self-centered instead. It becomes all about the giver, not the receiver.

The real joy and fulfillment that come from selfless acts of kindness are replaced by transient social media fame.

And at the end of the day, it’s important to remember: doing good is not about what we gain, but about what we give.

Final thoughts

Doing good deeds is definitely a wonderful habit to have. But if it’s just for social media clout, maybe a shift in perspective is needed.

And a little self-awareness. I think that we can make more of an impact when we take the time to reflect on why we do the things we do.

Are we genuinely trying to make a difference, or are we more concerned about how it looks to others?

If it’s the latter, don’t worry, it’s not set in stone.

Start by doing one good deed each day without sharing it on social media.

Experience the joy and fulfillment that come from knowing you’ve made a difference, no matter how small, in someone else’s life.

It might not be easy at first. You might miss the instant gratification that comes from likes and comments.

But in time, you’ll realize that the sense of inner peace and happiness you get is worth so much more.

So here’s to doing good – not for the clout, but simply because it’s the right thing to do.