Your Say, published every Friday, lets readers express their opinions on a topic or issue raised by the editor.

Next week: Do you think that social networks like Facebook harm people’s perception of reality?

In the southern province of Sóc Trăng, Nguyễn Văn Kỳ, 38, surprised the media after being sentenced to 29 years in jail. As the court announced the verdict and as a reporter was taking his picture, Kỳ smiled and said. “Remember to run my portrait on the front page!”

It seems his need for attention made him momentarily forget he would be spending the rest of his young years locked up.

That’s just one example of how many people are acting nowadays. People crave attention, and that longing for appreciation comes out of a desire to get something from the people around them. Social networks, especially Facebook, have become a place to create a fake self-image, please the ego and desperately seek attention. When people post their picture or a status, they expect their friends to acknowledge the picture by ‘liking’ it. Only when they get enough ‘likes’, do they feel satisfied.

Do you know anybody like that? How do you feel about it? Why do you think many people prefer to lead a fake life on Facebook rather than their real ones? Do you think that’s healthy? Do you think that social networks like Facebook harm people’s perception of reality?

Please reply by email to: opinion@vnsmail.com, or by fax to (84-4) 3 933 2311. Letters can be sent to The Editor, Việt Nam News, 79 Lý Thường Kiệt Street, Hà Nội. Replies to the questions must be received by Thursday morning, August 11, 2016. – VNS