Just a Big Conversation. An old version of Facebook?

I always have thought about citing as just a part of formal or academic writing. Today's lecture, dictated by Kathryn Shaugnessy, changed that wrong feeling; It is true that it is part of academic writing style, but there is also a hidden concept behind all the rules: When an article is read, the reader becomes part of a conversation between the writer and the authors that support the ideas he is trying to express. In a figurative way, he has had dialogues with all these people, paying attention to what they have to say about a particular topic, basically discussing with them.

The cites are the way we have to connect with all the people involved in the conversation and directly ask what they have to say. It's like an old Facebook, a medium to create a network, to comment and discuss, to be part of a big academic conversation.