The Never Ending Stage Performance

     At first glance, a short conversation between any random two people is one of the simplest concepts in the world. Its most likely just two people sharing random jabber in order to pass the time while they are together: for example, while people are in the elevator, on the bus, getting their mail, going for a walk, or eating lunch in a communal setting. However, a closer look at these "simple interactions" and you find complexities in abundance. When two people have a run of the mill, everyday conversation, before they even start, they're looking at each others' clothes, guessing their age, trying to figure out what social class they belong to, thinking about their race, and more. The moment we identify someone as a possible partner for conversation, we begin evaluating them. This becomes even more complicated when it is between a male and a female. 
     Each and every day when we roll out of bed, we begin preparing for the social interactions that we expect we will be experiencing throughout the course of that day. Depending on what age group we are a part of, the first thing we do after awakening might be to notify all those who pay attention to us in online social networking that we are on the move. Even that is done with meticulous attention to what we look like based on our vocabulary and the tone of our posts. From there, we most likely spend an hour or more preparing our "image." That is, the representation of ourselves that we want other members of society to be aware of. 
     Where did all of these rituals and analysis patterns we go through before making contact with other human beings come from? Is it simply instinctual for us to put on these "performances" for our peers on a daily basis? That seems partially true. However, it seems that we learn more of this than just what comes naturally to us. The moment we leave the womb we begin to make impressions on those around us through nonverbal social interactions. Through the warmth we show to our caretakers and how loud we are in the short time after birth. From then on up to college age we are taught how to evaluate social situations and make judgements about the people around us from moments of analysis. In those years we are taught about our statuses, our roles, what our race and gender means about our part in society, the meaning of where we were born, what class we were born into, and how to present ourselves properly in accordance with previously established social norms. We aren't even taught everything on purpose though. Within the duration of this process we observe those around us and teach ourselves about all the important nonverbal cues exhibited in human behavior.
So, why is it so instrumental to the functioning of society that we put on these "shows" each day for our friends, family, and countless amounts of strangers? Survival, and above that success. We go out there and try to "break a leg" each and every day because if you're not well seasoned in social interaction you won't survive in this world. More than that though, we try to become masters of social interaction so that we can be as successful as possible. When it comes down to it, everyone wants the lead role.

Links: 
http://sociology.about.com/od/Works/a/Presentation-Of-Self-Everyday-Life.htm

https://www.boundless.com/sociology/understanding-social-interaction/understanding-social-interaction/understanding-social-interaction/

http://fractalsauna.wordpress.com/2013/05/02/complexity-and-ordinary-daily-interactions/