Perhaps an even more accurate way of saying it is to say that when we communicate, we do so rhetorically more than communicatively. That is, everything is said with it's intended effect being more important than the actual content of the words. "You did a good job" when you failed, for example, is a lie; but the words were not meant to communicate information to you. They were intended to make you feel better. The problem is, since virtually everything we say to one another is like this, the actual meaning of what we say is largely an ignored side effect of interaction.
I took flying lessons many years ago, and was struck with a profound realization. When looking down from the plane, I realized that everything was just what it was, and nothing more. At ground level, you see signs, storefronts, etc. Everything you run into is PRESENTED to you. All you see is rooftops from the plane. There's tar paper or shingles, A/C units, ducts, chimney tops. It's all practical, honest. You just see things as they were intended for their use. Nothing from up there is designed to evoke a response (such as "cool store, think I'll go inside and buy some shit").
There is a superficiality in everything, as if packaging were more important than the contents of the package. And the same is true with our interactions with each other. We are always presenting ourselves, this way or that, to either convince ourselves or others of something (like "I'm cool." or "I'm like you" or "I'm acceptable").
I think it's a means to cope, really. Like Joe Rogan said in Waves' vid above: no one knows what's going on. When we were little, we had our parents to make us feel secure with that; and we were really more honestly ourselves then. As adults, we only have other adults, and what we sacrifice to avoid being shunned or left unprotected is tragic.
The Rev