"Click here if you remember [fill in the blank]". Often, this will have an image instead of text. This is an interesting game particularly if someone starts a discussion thread beneath the post. I remember things from before I was born. I read and am quite fond of antiques. I'm a nightmare waiting to happen because I'm fond of games and not fond of divulging my age. I've never been dishonest but then no one has ever really asked me precisely how I remember or I've been extremely lucky if you believe in luck. When I was seventeen, I had the privilege of working in a clinic during the summer. The doctors loved both the newest technology and the oldest antiques. It would be an understatement to say that our offices were unique.
People play this game because it's fun to belong and reminisce. Who doesn't want to take a trip down memory lane? It's always great for a few laughs. People ask this question to judge your honesty on your age if you listed it. If you recall something that was a short lived fad or was replaced by something else five or ten years before you were born and you have a funny story to go along with it, something doesn't add up. Many people no longer list vital information such as age, sex, relationship status, location, education and work information. If it's a personal account, it's no one's business but your own. If it's a business account, you're there to make connections. That information is business related and public anyway.
All data is valuable. Discerning male from female isn't impossible. Relative location can be identified by your ip address or locations you visit. Relationship status is a bit more difficult but as social networks are privy to all your posts, it only takes one mention. "Click here if you remember..." verifies your age group.
There's another game you've probably played. It involves a storyline. You fill in this storyline with the nine people in your friend's box. These friends, visible or not, aren't random. They change based on an algorithm that takes into account friends you prefer, favorite, subscribe to, and follow before other friends. People you just follow and pages you like are not considered friends and therefore not a factor. Essentially, it's who you interacted with last over a period of time. Not who interacted with you last over a period of time. There's a difference. Why is this information even interesting? It's the last nine friends you took the time to interact with -- obviously. Think of these friends as your miniature network. Now consider whether they all went to the same high school or college or worked for the same employers past or present. Their points of intersection or what they have in common are most likely also what they have in common with you.
People play games. Online, on the phone, and offline in real life. It prevents them from having to ask direct questions that you'll probably reject answering. A while back, I visited another state where I happen to have many relatives. We had stopped at a familiar place. I was seated comfortably waiting, reading my Kindle while my daughters decided what to order. I was approached by a young woman who knew my family surname. It's not difficult. We look alike. Instead of asking me who I am which by the way is culturally not rude. She instead asked about Mama, everyone knows my Grandmother. She explained which neighborhood she grew up in and asked which neighborhood I grew up in. [Enter the game] This information tells her what school district I would've attended in my youth.
As much as I enjoy games because I have nothing to hide and to be honest it's just a game, there are times I'd like to be asked what pizza toppings I prefer without knowing there's some underlying motivation.
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