Strangers online don’t know you. Your close friends do. Weigh their feedback differently.

A stranger with a strong opinion has seen one post or one clip. A close friend has seen the whole run of you and has to live with the result of being honest. That difference should change how much weight each one carries, though attention does not work that way: the cruel stranger is louder and lasts longer. Volume is not the same as standing.

When something a stranger said is still with you tonight, ask whether anyone who knows you has ever said it. If they have, it deserves real thought. If nobody has, you are letting someone with no information set your opinion of yourself.