Gotcha!
Personally though, I don't believe it's a need, but rather a desire influenced by the overstimulation through social media and getting likes and attention from people. When you find meaning through it, you feel a void without it, and even people who have an abundance of it still desire more.
Like I tell people, I saw the fandom take a nosedive when the gay vote passed and instead of having fun with friends, everyone wanted to show how good of a person they were, which never died down. Porn, activism and attention became top priority because they made people feel good. A hierarchal society was integrated into it, so the more of those you had, the more desireable you became, but if you didn't do anything to "help" the community, you were an enemy.