This from Max Blumberg a while ago (found it while browsing a more recent entry - Max Blumberg Positioning Game: The Future of Blogging: Microsoft Joins the Fray
Baumeister & Leary (1995) suggested the belonginingness hypothesis which states “human beings have a pervasive drive to form and maintain at least a minimum quantity of lasting, positive, and significant personal relationships”.So far the Internet has helped(?) us interact with email and chat facilities. Dating sites arrived and we are also seeing the emergence of social forums such as LinkedIn and Ryze. Blogs are an addition which allows us to show more of ourselves to those who wish to interact with us.
I liked the idea encapsulated here that the 'social' aspects of blogging (and other forms of social software) are part of an innate quality within the human psyche to form relationships. It also resonates well with the idea of authority that Johnnie and I (here) were playing with the other day. Self-expression not only as a form of affirmation but also as a form of establishing relationships by 'showing more of ourselves'.
Posted by Paul Goodison at June 22, 2005 01:02 PM | TrackBack