I think for many people both Facebook and Twitter function as the companion or close friend they don’t have, or an idealized one who cares about their every comment and whim. When people post such things as “I’m really in the mood for a hamburger” it’s easy to imagine they’re sending those messages out to a someone who they want to believe actually cares that they’re in the mood for a burger. However we all know such loving concerned friends are extremely rare. So like the child who creates an imaginary friend, these posters send their messages to an idealized (but imaginary) grown up someone who they wish was out there, listening.
However, I am tired of people who don’t use social media issuing edicts such as “I would never want everyone to see what I’m talking about.” Well, of course not… What many people completely fail to understand is the minute degree of control the user actually has. Facebook (my favorite playground) provides considerable fine-tuning as to who gets to see what… down to excluding individual “Friends” from seeing distinct posts. Many of these people buy cars or cameras without ever touching the owner’s manual… of course they’re not going to spend the 20 minutes finding out how to actually use a social media platform… Hell, half these people don’t reset their watch to the local time when they travel, how can they be expected to understand how to allow a picture tag.
YR 