Since the dawn of time, people have indulged in meaningless topics of conversation. From the inventor of Toaster Strudels to the price of tea in China, you name it — it’s been talked about.

In the midst of revising papers and studying for finals, I found myself (like I’m sure so many others do) on Facebook. While on my home page, I noticed a large number of friends had joined a group titled, “Overheard at Binghamton University.” Needless to say, I thought it sounded a lot more interesting than the work I was doing. So I decided to check it out.

After reading a couple of wall posts, I found myself unable to stop. I repeatedly clicked “Older Posts” until I had successfully acquainted myself with and understood every comment. I mean, the first thing I read was the Recent News section, which contained the words, “Suck it, Pipe Dream!” So I obviously knew it was going to be a great read.

For lack of better words, the group is full of random comments, from random people, who hear random things. Some examples include a male’s supposed violation of his little sister the night before, townies fighting Downtown and sketchy dining hall trays. Just about any arbitrary idea or thought that a person overhears on campus and considers important (or irrelevant?) enough can be posted.

While it is called “Overheard at Binghamton University,” the “overheard” concept isn’t unique to Binghamton. These groups exist for various colleges, like Colgate University, Ramapo College and Penn State University, just to name a few. It seems to be a new phenomenon that no one can get enough of, relatable to “Texts From Last Night,” “MyLifeIsAverage” and “FMyLife,” which seem to be strewn all over Facebook and even daily conversation.

Maybe in this day and age, we have to resort to things like these to keep ourselves occupied. There’s nothing wrong with this; everyone needs a break from seriousness once in a while, especially during the stress of finals. There is something to be said about the humor in the stupid things we are all guilty of saying.

I’m definitely not against the group. As demonstrated during my hour-long procrastination, “Overheard” undoubtedly has a certain level of entertainment value that cannot be ignored. But what is it about these groups or Web sites that make them so attractive?

I guess it could be the fact that any one of us could be overheard one day and later find our very own wise words on this page. Or maybe it’s the simple fact that no one can really pass up a goodhearted laugh, especially at the expense of another person. Either way, there’s no denying the effect they have.

For all you big talkers out there, never fear. We all have a solid month to wind down, relax and think of new and even more riveting topics to spark the interest of others. Just don’t get too comfortable when we return — you never know who’s listening.