I'm sure that before opening and reading my blog, you checked your current social network preference, whether it be Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, or some other dominating social force. If I am wrong, then congratulations! You are one of the very few to do so!
*Source: flickr.com
But moving on to my point. I'll admit that one of the first things I do when I turn on my computer, is to check my Facebook, in hopes that I have a friend request, a message, a comment, or some other notification to remind me that I am still part of the social world we live in.
Why do I resort to such behavior? In fact, why is it that most of us resort to virtual reality rather than reality itself? According to "How social can we get?" social networking actually began during the early years of our evolution (when we were more like monkeys rather than humans). Social networking back then didn't involve computers, of course, but rather grooming as a way of communicating relationships.
*Source: flickr.com
According to anthropologist, Robin Dunbar, hierarchy was important among primates. The knowledge of relationships during this era was what Dunbar suggests was the "birth of gossip." This is why some people suggested that grooming was the "first social networking application." Once groupes or tribes began to increase in size, grooming eventually evolved to language, or spoken word. This evolutionary change has impacted our society immensely, and as Dunbar puts it, "We haven't stopped gossiping since."
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