New technologies invoke fear in many people, often because of distaste for the rapid exceleration of their integration in our lives and in turn, our dependence on them. Online social media, like facebook, are platforms that need no introduction to the general public of industrialized nations, and whose use has skyrocketed over the past decade. According to Steve Olenski at Forbes.com, social media use has increased by 800% in 8 years for U.S. adults who are plugged in to the wonderful World Wide Web.  But even if these figures are faithful, what do they actually tell us about why such high volumes of people are using social media?

“Peacocking” is a term that has caught my attention over the past year, especially since I am guilty of ruffling people’s feathers this way (forgive the pun), as I’m sure many of you are as well.  Peacocking, according to UrbanDictionary.com’s fifth entry is, ” The act of writing on someones facebook wall to make either yourself or your friend seem more fun/cool/witty/popular. It is often done with the intention of someone in particular reading it.” I think this term can be extended to any posts that promote ethos building, as Laura Owen at Paid Content wrote, “most people want to share content that makes them look good.”

This act of intentionally weaving a bit of narrative information into the social fabric is only natural. Whether the purpose of releasing the data is to appeal to envy, excitement, pride, or concern, it seems that the majority of what we post on our facebooks, twitters, instagrams, etc. is there to say, “HEY! Look at me, look what I’m doing/eating/listening to/reading/seeing/feeling, aren’t I interesting/better than you/worth listening to/worth your time?” In class we spoke of exigence, and the information we post online seems both to display a sense of urgency (our devices are equipped with so many bells and whistles) and to relay common narrative experiences that our friends, families, and peers can relate to.

While sometimes the act of sifting through all of your friends’ content is taxing (especially the grammatically and/or mechanically inept), and while many people fear the impact of technology on “real” face-to-face interactions, this type of social media release is important, and serves a cathartic purpose. I’m not suggesting that inviting all of your friends to play Candy Crush, or sharing a link to a video with a cat falling asleep in a watermelon are going to help you cope with life’s tough decisions, but sometimes a status update or a tweet that either directly or indirectly calls out for some attention might help you feel like someone, somewhere is listening to you.

With much embarrasement I admit that I can’t seem to find the link to support the following information, but I recall either reading an article or watching a video that claimed that when we tell someone we are doing something the regions in our brain that are activated are almost parallel to when we actually physically do that thing. The same can be said for when we “peacock” online, or when we call for help. If I am trying to make myself feel better by posting about my new job, or a high grade I receive on a paper, the narrative I am expressing does in some way come true for me, and acts as a cathartic release.

In tragedy, social media has been used to the same effect, although arguably with a much greater emotional and urgent degree. “Jim” at Face Of The Matter says something similar about the modern sensibility and urge to tweet and share our thoughts and feelings about disasters, death, and tragedies.

They are experiencing life–the bad part, yes, but still–they are alive and bursting at the seams with emotion and fear and dread and being able to talk about it is key to bouncing back from it. From being resilient. From recovering.

So that while sometimes it may seem insensitive to make public your thoughts regarding these situations, or to post pictures and videos of these events, it is natural and an essential part of a global grieving process.