Since most humans now get their self-validation from Facebook and Instagram, everyone's trying hard to crack that winning formula.
While scoring 160 likes in two hours proves you look great in these pictures, there is such a thing as trying too hard. Like that Mommy and Me photo. Or the 'candid' shot of you feeding a 2-day old albino dachshund using an eye drop. Making any of these photos your profile picture is a desperate cry for attention. You might as well go profile to profile with a begging bowl asking for likes. So please, stop parading your insecurities on the good people of social media's time feeds.
Flexing is the most primal level of bragging. This desperate attempt to get laid will not go unnoticed and in all likelihood, someone will point out that you missed leg day. Your likes are not in proportion to your protein intake and nobody including your mother cares how much you lift 'bro'. Start flexing your brain for those #gainz, maybe?
You + mom is the ultimate move. Even if the only regular communication you have with mother dearest is helping her sign into Facebook so she can validate her love for you. Spending enough time to pose for a picture with your mother already says you are a stellar family man, uploading it only means you are unashamed. But please, have some shame. If your mother is an accomplice and comments "My jaanu" or anything like that on the photo, everyone in your family should be reported. Everyone knows mommy photos are crowd pleaser; It's the equivalent of a DJ playing 'Summer of '69' to revive a dying retro party.
Possibly, the worst of all. The Baller is that guy who uses his latest set of wheels as a profile picture. What are you, a Transformer? Going through his profile pictures is like watching a rap video by an artist who truly believes he should be nominated for a Grammy but won't be because no one really has a clue what is happening. It's tasteless. Take off the designer eyewear and call it a day.
This one has more to do with the caption than the actual picture, though the two combined will reach new levels of pseudo-ness. A photo of you staring off into the sunsets above a quote about life that you didn't write? Typical. You've stolen the essence of something far more substantial than yourself but kept it relatable so people even shallower than you will stamp their approval with a vertical thumb.
There is a special place in hell for the shameless use of babies, puppies or kittens as props in your display picture. If the kitten, puppy or baby isn't yours don't pimp it out for likes. Holding someone else's puppy long enough for the duration of a picture doesn't showcase your sensitive side. These creatures will get likes regardless of the fact that you are holding them. Take down that picture and go volunteer at an animal shelter to repent for that kitten's temporary blindness caused by the flash of your iPhone.