A Very Public Private Life

Social media (SM) is a wonderful thing; it's almost like dark chocolate. OK, not quite, but it is wonderful. I've been thinking a lot recently about SM, especially as it is becoming a vital part of the industries for which I went to school--public relations and journalism. It is very uncommon for individuals in these fields, as well as businesses, to not participate in SM. But think a step further: we share a whole lot of our private lives with the public. Here are some examples of tweets and Facebook statuses that people tend to post (fictitious for the sake of privacy, ironic huh?) :

"Going to bed . . . it's 3 a.m."
"Stuck in I-405 traffic, gonna be late today."
"What should I eat for lunch?"
"Hope my boss doesn't find out about this . . ."
"Thanks everyone, I have 592 followers now!"

You get my point. Think about it, why do we post what we post? Are we really that bored? Do we want the world's (or at least our friends' and/or followers') sympathy? Are we really looking for public opinion for part of our lives?

I'm not saying using SM to do the things listed above is wrong, I just wonder why we do it. I know I wouldn't call my friends or email them and tell them things like "Oh, I made cake today." I mean, they won't care! So what makes SM a better platform to do so?

SM, like many things, is a great tool. I just wonder if I share too much of my private life on a public (even though I make it private and/or protected) site. Thoughts?