Why do people try so hard on social media? Is it just for validation, or is it calculating? Is the motivator fame? Fortune? Is there a difference? Jon and Drew have tended to talk about the responsibilities of the platforms and their designers to promote community, but this time they want to talk about the part that’s the users’ (read: our own) fault. The desire to get rich and famous is like a pyramid scheme into which humanity has tricked itself. How could public-facing social media not play into it?

Want to be internet friends? Write to Drew and Jon or find us on Micro.blog at @InternetFriends.