I don’t fall for this phenomenon that much anymore.  i don’t think I’ve ever had, but I’m sure I practiced it more in my earlier years.  Of course I’m talking about the pseudo-social phenomenon.  This is where one participates in activities that have a practical base (raison d’ etre) at the surface, but the roots are pure social interaction.

Consider:  A friend says he/she is having trouble with the computer.  They say it’s acting funny and they don’t know what to do.  Because you’ve more computer knowledge in the social group, you get the call asking for assistance.  You ask some relevant questions but alas, because the computer’s owner is not computer-savvy, he/she cannot give you clear information to diagnose the problem over the phone.  So a personal visit is scheduled.  No hurry, whenever you can.  A short time later (a day or so) you visit said friend and within a short time you fix the problem or decide it’s beyond your knowledge base and suggest he/she contact a professional.  Either way, you stay and have dinner or go out, have some drinks, join other people, and merriment ensues.  You spent a good 15 minutes on the actual problem and 5 hours on the social call.  On balance, the social took much more so overwhelmingly it should be considered a social event; but started with a practical reason.

So why is it that I don’t fall for this anymore.  Many reasons I can think of can be the cause.  Firstly, as we get older, we learn to be more self-sufficient.  So the occasional friend who has computer problems will likely just take it to a computer shop and have it fixed instead of bothering other people.  Secondly, people are more busy than ever. They’ve all these pseudo-appointments to deal with.  Most business is self-inflicted but it takes real time, so there’s less pseudo-social time.  Third and most important; I just have many less friends.  I don’t know why it is, but younger people tend to be more social.  As we get older we just don’t care that much anymore.  A couple of friends will do, and no more.  I should get more pseudo-friends, become more pseudo-social, and I’ll be more pseudo-busy.