Social Mediating: Why We Embarrassingly Use Social Media

Social media websites are fantastic tools. Most people don't think of them this way, but they are. Now, if I want to organize a big party, I don't have to call up 30 different people to give them my personal info, or print dozens of paper printing invitations that they'll probably forget about - I can just invite them all on Facebook. And Facebook will remind them when it is for me. Instead of having to call half a dozen people to find one that knows the page numbers for the math homework, I can just post a status about it and it's safe to assume that someone will respond.

Beyond making life easier in those types of cases, some major things that would be otherwise near impossible are no longer thanks to these sites. Protests have been organized on Twitter. Search parties have shared information on Twitter. I remember my freshman year, when tons of my classmates shared research information for a major project, all on my friend Cleo's Facebook wall. All completely seamless.

But all these require that a person already be using these sites. I could invite people to my party on Facebook, but if my friends didn't already use Facebook for other reasons, no one would see it. We could say it's to meet new friends, but most of our friends on Facebook are people we already know in real life. We could say it's to be able to easily chat from one place online, but Facebook's chat system is downright terrible, and there are dozens of other, more capable ones. So what brings us to these sites?

I think that it's because human beings are naturally awkward as a whole. When we first meet a new person, it can often be difficult to find a smooth conversation with them, as we have nothing to launch us off. Meanwhile, Facebook breaks the ice for us. One friend of mine was the perfect example of this; I've had dozens of conversations regarding Metal Gear Solid, video game music, and other nerdiness over Facebook with him, and before it, we barely even spoke a word. I probably wouldn't have even ever learned he liked all of the things he does without his posts, and vice versa.

Though we don't want to admit it, vanity is a big part of it. If I post something on Facebook, it's because I think people really want to hear about it (and this comes from somebody who's posted pictures of kielbasa sandwiches and Guitar Hero high scores - you're welcome, friends). Sounds dumb and self-serving, but it's true. Looking at my news feed right now, I see people complaining about too little sleep, wanting to buy sunglasses, boasting about what their dog can do, and other similar details of everyday life. No other reason could persuade us but to think that people are truly interested in our nothingness. That's why a link to my Facebook page is to the right of this article right now: because for some reason, I assume people care.

And yet they do, to a degree. Ashton Kutcher's Twitter is mostly valueless. Tons of tweets about football, and one recent tweet as of posting proclaims "I would like to dedicate today to sitting on my ass and doing nothing!" Hooray. And yet he had nearly 6 million followers - so what gives?

Embarrassingly, we all indulge in this nonsense. After becoming hopelessly addicted to the awesome podcast Talkradar, I began following the Twitters of each of the usual hosts. Though it is handy to see them posting about recent articles they wrote for the corresponding site GamesRadar, I already check GamesRadar daily, so it seems like I continue following for the other, completely unimportant stuff. But why?

It's all part of the magic of what made the internet what it is. The whole point is to bring people across the world together, and social media does that with celebrities in a way never done before. When we watch our favorite musician on a talk show, it's not just because we like their music; they aren't playing anything while we hear them talk. It's because we want to know more about this person, who they are, what makes them who they are. Now, instead of just seeing Ashton Kutcher's stupid, shallow characters, we get to see his stupid shallow lifestyle as well. But we love it, because this person means something to us. Basically, social media gives us the illusion of friendship with celebrities.

So yes, social media sites are a fantastic tool, and they make life easier in a lot of ways. But the reason we all spend so much time on them every night might be a bit embarrassing.

Feel free to disagree - as long as you do so in the comments.