Xenophon wrote:
We can argue all day long how healthy the behavior is (I personally would contend that too much focus on the "digital self" is not ideal) but it seems silly to ask "why anyone does it". The answer is simple on that, because others still watch.
Well, I didn't really ask that question. After all, people do seek out the entertainment we find in others, so the impulse to create entertainment for others is reasonable. I know I've attempted it.
What I'm asking is more narrow: what makes people imagine that
the mundane or even sordid details of their their personal lives is entertaining to others? If your answer is simply, "Even though you don't watch, others will," well then... that makes me an even sadder panda.
Related to the other parts of your post, I imagine I can't relate to the upvote/liking stuff because I don't personally engage in it. It's never seemed important or appealing to me. If something I read moves me, I'll make a comment in response, like people do. I mean, is this how lazy we've gotten?
I agree with this comment, but I can't be bothered to say so... hey, this little Like button is convenient... I don't think counting "likes" is a great measure of a comment, because we have no idea why people clicked that button. We don't even know if they read the comment in the first place.