My Mother Priced Me by Likes

Mom always said I wasn't good at talking and wasn't likable, that I couldn't compare to our neighbor's influencer daughter.

To fix me, she set down a rule: post one video each month, and I'd get as much allowance as there were comments.

Before the semester started, I posted a video.

Three comments.

The first month, Mom really only gave me three dollars.

The second month, I posted a video.

I begged classmates one by one for help, registered ten burner accounts to comment on my own posts, and went to other people's comment sections begging for mutual engagement.