Opinions matter.

I've left the occasional comment or opinion on web sites, travel sites, blog sites and forums come chat rooms. There are a lot of sites and reasons to leave those comments and I don't know if I have enough time, to help out, leave complaints or show allegiance and commitment to my favourite brands, products or people? There are many reasons people leave comments online with boundless opportunities and avenues to communicate and connect. It is the psychological reasons for leaving these comments that bind us together.

A need to help, a selflessness as altruistic intention, is a major rationality behind a lot of what we do on the net when we leave a little bit of ourselves behind. From what we consider informed and insightful shopping information, through likes and twitterings for brands to improve and discernment of the best places to eat, holiday and enjoy ourselves, it becomes obvious we want to do the right thing by others. The net has given us a single entry point to the world and how we see it for ourselves and how we'd like to see it for others. This desire to help in an online community defines many as valued members of that community, which is often difficult to attain for many in our maladaptive, dysfunctional society. So don't stop giving those opinions and insights, for there is no better reason to leave something of yourself, than to help someone else.

The other side of the coin is the fine line where you get arguments on both sides as to whether the leave behind is a complaint or just a strong opinion. Yes we love to have a whine and complain about the state of the planet, the runny peanut butter that says crunchy on the jar or anything else that cheeses us off on the day. What better place than the web, where we can voice complaints behind anonymity, voice complaints behind a basic human right to "kvetch", all the time knowing a punch in the face is not coming down the broadband. This is something that still surprises some companies that allow comments and are then astonished when comments are not enthusiastic but derogatory. I complain, therefore I am, is the catch cry for many who cannot find the appropriate outlet outside the net.

Along with helping out and complaining on the net, psychologists point to our need for attachment and celebrity on the net, as we align our thinking to brands, products, companies and personalities. Alignments that see us develop a loyalty we are happy to propagate, shout about, generally celebrate in comments, gossip, remarks and observations. This is not the loyalty attached to a frequent flyer account but the loyalty of an Apple "fan boy" who lives and breathes loyalty within a community and is happy to shout it from the rooftops. It's about a loyalty that can morph into renown as people themselves become the celebrity. Everyone needs to be noticed and comments and opinions can lead to the rarefied air of "going viral" and thus becoming something they would never achieve in the real world.

In the end, the net gives you a voice no one was listening to before, that can now be heard by multitudes and regardless of the psychological reasons, can introduce us to the world. I think that's a good thing, psychologically speaking.