I think that individuals’ motivations for “reciprocity” commenting may often be self-absorbed, but not for the exact reasons that Ito describes. Ito illustrates through the dialogue of two teens that people comment on Facebook and Myspace so that people will then click on their own page, comment, and make them appear more “popular”.
Often when I see a lot of people commenting on a link, picture, or status, I think they are trying to draw attention to themselves, but in a less blatant way. I think they are interested in becoming part of something that has created a lot of buzz. Even if a post has nothing to do with someone, by liking it or commenting on it, I think that he/she then feels partial ownership of the overall conversation.
The overall nature of social networking sites is perplexing. It is hard to define the motivations of people as they comment to friends and aquaintences, and it is even more thought-provoking because most of us participate in this type of behavior.
Perhaps we don’t want to admit the motives behind our online behavior, or maybe some do not even know the deeper reasons behind why they comment. The important thing to recognize is that there probably are deeper reasons, and online conversations should be taken as more complex than they actually appear.
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