Why it’s important in 2019 to have good SMK (Social Media Karma)

What is SMK — Social Media Karma? It’s the idea that the energy we put into social media comes back to us. The things we do or don’t do, the things we say or don’t say, all create a kind of karma that affects our engagement, our connections, and the way people respond to us online.

I try to practice SMK every single day on Facebook and Instagram. It starts with something simple: reacting to other people’s posts. Like, love, laugh, be sad, be angry — whatever fits. Why? Because it helps that person’s engagement. And when you help someone else, that energy comes back to you. Call it karma, call it reciprocity, call it just being a decent human being. It matters.

Liking, commenting, and sharing posts aren’t just nice things to do — they’re powerful. The more I do them, the more people do them for me. Coincidence? I don’t think so. My engagement is consistently higher than others with the same number of friends or followers, and I believe SMK is a big part of that.

Liking, commenting, and sharing posts aren’t just nice things to do — they’re powerful. The more I do them, the more people do them for me. Coincidence? I don’t think so. My engagement is consistently higher than others with the same number of friends or followers, and I believe SMK is a big part of that.

I cannot stress this enough: LIKE, COMMENT, SHARE — and on Instagram, LIKE, COMMENT, FEATURE. A friend once asked why my Instagram engagement was so strong. I gave a few simple answers, but the truth is that I’ve always been a “liker” and a “commenter.” I do it constantly.

And here’s a trick most people overlook: If you comment back on everyone who comments on your post, you effectively double your engagement. If you have 50 comments and you reply to all 50, Instagram sees 100. Why wouldn’t you want that? Engagement leads to growth.

Now, I’m not saying you should comment on posts you don’t genuinely like. I’m not going to leave a glowing comment on an out‑of‑focus, underexposed spider photo. But liking? That takes a millisecond. It’s quick, it’s easy, and it boosts your SMK.

If you care about making social media a better place — not just for yourself, but for others — try increasing your Social Media Karma. It goes a long way.

A little bit about the featured photo: This was taken at West Quoddy Head Lighthouse in Lubec, Maine around 2 a.m. in June. It shows our Milky Way Galaxy — something most of us city dwellers never get to see unless we travel to truly dark places. Maine, especially northern Coastal Maine, is one of the best dark‑sky regions in the United States. It’s like our last frontier for viewing and photographing the night sky.