Originally Posted by sassynaughtygirl

i think there is also the element, as with any social networking site, of giving people that don't experience popularity irl - or are young enough to be addicted to it no matter how much they DO have irl - to have that sensation through the web. the bright red "new messages" text is kind of a rush for a lot of people, esp. young people.

my first internet experience was with an aol account (shut up LOL) when i was a teenager, and i still remember the little flutter of excitement when mr. aol said "you've got mail" when i logged on.

of course, it was usually spam.