Kitschy is Catchy

Other thoughts for post titles: How to Win Friends and Influence People (i.e. How to Manipulate Others and Pander to Self-Centeredness).

OK, so I only had one other thought on a post title

(and that thought was entirely sardonic),

but that's fine.

"See how shiny it is?!"

"It's tawdry. I like it."

"I know you do."

It is unbearably obvious that things like catching up with friends, keeping track of those in your social circle, and being involved in your community in general is an utterly self-centered drive.

In this new sphere of technologically possible impersonal relationships, the self-centeredness of keeping in touch is the pajama-wearing, un-showered elephant in the social-networking room. Everyone knows that no one cares about them, but refuse to acknowledge it.

At least for those people who value face time--

poor word choice, as that has now been claimed by technology as well--

At least for those people who value time spent in the physical presence of others where distractions and multitasking must, or at least are more likely to, take a back seat to the relationship, the elephant stopped by Urban to get the latest high-end hipster fashion (n.b. Urban Outfitters is an oxymoronic marvel for any hipster purist).

Think about it.

Catching up with others usually happens after they do something neat, go through something significant, or get a new outfit (cf. the hipster elephant). They want to feel good about themselves in relation to someone else. I wouldn't say the conscious motivation is this self-glorification, I think it happens to be the subconscious behavioral reward.

A Skype date is like Pavlov's bell: we cannot help but salivate as our egos await fresh sustenance!

If you disagree with me, I think you're wrong.

I am correct because at the very least people generally don't talk with strangers the same way they do with their friends. You perceive some people to be deserving of your time and attention, and those people are involved in your own affairs. This is definitively self-centered (look it up). And while that was a cheap victory, to quote one of Akon's more recent appearances, "Still counts!"

Semantics, FTW!

The Economics of People

With this understanding of the nature of blogs, twitter, and social media in general, it's interesting to note that their are numerous blogs about blogging: they teach you how to catch and keep an audience, how to create catchy post titles, and how to take advantage of key word searches through various engines.

In other words, "How To's" on blogging teach you to sell your enjoyment of personal creativity for the affirmation of followers.

I guess if you need that validation, that's just fine.

To be honest, I do.

I just don't have it, so I caustically write it off.

I might point out that my thoughts on this clearly demonstrate how much I care about others, not how little.

I hope only strangers read this to prove my point.