Have you ever come across a question in a forum, and wondered
why in google's name he/she doesn't just do some quick research on
their own?
I mean, they are on an internet forum, so presumably fairly
internet savvy, at least savvy enough to use a search engine, don't
you think? Or in the case of personal issues, why seek the advice
of complete strangers, who more often than not dispense advice that
even your enemies wouldn't dare dream of?
Why, I wonder.
There may be a few reasons why the
habitual-forum-nonsensical-question-poser does so, apart from maybe
the blatant fact that attention does a world of good for one's ego.
If they can't readily obtain it IRL, mayhaps the vast cyberspace is
the next best thing.
1. The person actually knows
all about the subject, and is looking for an entry point to show
everyone how much they know.
You know the type. Ask a question and then argue with the people
that answer. This annoys me because it is a form of attacking well
meaning people who are just trying to help.
2. Person knows full well how
to get the information they need, but by thinking and asking the
question, they will look knowledgeable in some
ways.
For example - "Anyone know how I can surprise my girlfriend with a
gift that she's always wanted?"
Translated, this reads "Hey... guess what,? I'm flushed with cash -
enough to buy the girl a 7ct diamond ring! Other girls can eat
their heart out and just HOPE..."
3. In the case of personal
matters, the person invariably knows what must be done, but needs
the backup and approval of others before they can go ahead and act,
so that if it doesn't go the way they hope it will, the complete
burden of failure doesn't fall solely on one's
lap.
"My boyfriend shot my brother, raped my mother and fed my cat to
the dog. Should I dump him?"
4 pages and 60-odd replies later, people are still discussing how
best to kill the non-existent dude.
Ah... the internet. Faceless names hiding gleefully behind the
secure anonymity of the screen. It's rapidly becoming a facet of
life that we cannot simply choose to ignore, so much so that Google
becomes the ultimate answer to everything.
If all else fails, there's always SgForums. 
