Main character syndrome

Overview

Main character syndrome is internet slang for a behavior pattern of acting on social media as if you were the main character of a story. In a positive sense it means an attitude of "living your own life with confidence," and in a negative sense it means a self-centered attitude that doesn't see the people around you.

Question boxes and main character syndrome

A question box can sometimes feed main character syndrome. The owner receives questions, answers them, and shares them. This whole flow ties into the feeling that "everyone is watching me and waiting for my words." Followers sending questions and looking forward to the answers is exactly the experience of being the main character.

This feeling itself is part of the appeal of a question box, and it isn't something to reject. The problem is when this feeling swells and turns into an attitude like "my answers are always right" or "my followers should do what I say."

The trap of main character syndrome

Owners who fall into main character syndrome may start treating senders as "supporting characters in my story." They put how their answer looks ahead of how the sender feels. They see critical questions as "a challenge to the main character" and react aggressively. When their answer is criticized, they feel like a victim who "isn't understood."

These behaviors can damage the trust between the owner and their followers. A question box isn't a stage where you're the star. It's a place for conversation with your followers. Keeping this in mind is the foundation of running it in a healthy way.

Tips for staying humble

To stay humble while running a question box, don't forget the fact that your question box only works because there are people asking you questions. With zero questions, no matter how good you are at writing fun answers, you have no place to use that skill. A question box exists because of its senders.

It's also a good idea to regularly say "Thanks for the question" to show your gratitude. The main character isn't you. It's each and every follower who sends you questions.