There is one root motivator for all “Social Media” habits.

Unlike what developers or Social Media junkies may think, it’s not really about narcissism, the desire to share, connect, friendship, relationships, networking, etc.

Those are just symptoms of a more fundamental need:

The need to feel appreciated.

We all crave meaning in our lives. Most of us don’t have professions that are full of meaning, like teachers, firefighters, doctors, etc. As the world shifts toward jobs with higher intellectual demand, the desire for meaning increases (because the tasks become more abstract and further removed from tangible results), but the opportunities for finding meaning decrease.

So most interactions in the Social online world are perpetuated by the constant need for validation, recognition, appreciation… at least someone to acknowledge what you do and at best someone to tell you how awesome you are…

… even though the actions are not necessarily meaningful — like sharing a photo of an exotic dish at a swanky restaurant, sharing a fancy vacation, a clever comment, seeking applause for a new discovery or posting about feats of 1st-world heroism.

So more important than the ability to share is the ability to appreciate what is being shared. The “Like” button. The “+1”. The “Retweet”. The “Reblog”. Because if there was no way to “thumbs up” something, if someone keeps posting into a void where nothing gets seen, read or appreciated, people will quickly lose motivation to post.

This is the secret motivator of all Social Media habits – and this motivates people to keep coming back:

The quick fix to simulate some meaning in millions of lives aching for meaning.