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Small talk is the equivalent of dogs sniffing each others ass. The topic isn't really the point, it's just a quick and easy way to gauge another person's mood and attitude towards you. It's a skill worth developing. And I say this as someone with social anxiety.
I think the analogy is a bit crude but quite bang on.
I think it's a good skill too and I have been clinically diagnosed with anxiety.
But most people who are invested in small talk will be giving the signals they think the other person wants, making it less useful than not talking at all.
This is coming from someone who learned how to do small talk, watches other people completely flip their personality the moment they are out of the small talk, and only uses it when necessary because everyone else does. I do avoid common topics I have no interest in, like watching sports, and avoid getting into the weeds of topics and that works well enough for anyone I would want to talk to later.
But most people who are invested in small talk will be giving the signals they think the other person wants, making it less useful than not talking at all.
I don't think this is true. When I engage in small talk, I don't see it as me bending flexibly to the conversation partner's wants. I'm testing to see if there are common overlaps that we can talk about, and talking for the sake of being entertained. If the other person turns out not to be a good conversation partner for me in that moment, I don't think anything of just moving on. I'm not trying to please them, I'm trying to enjoy myself.
I can't imagine I'm in the minority here.
Like Shakespeare, adapted by the band Rush, said:
Limelight Available on Moving Pictures Music: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson Lyrics: Neil Peart
Living on a lighted stage Approaches the unreal For those who think and feel In touch with some reality Beyond the gilded cage
Cast in this unlikely role, Ill-equipped to act With insufficient tact One must put up barriers To keep oneself intact
Living in the Limelight The universal dream For those who wish to seem
Those who wish to be Must put aside the alienation Get on with the fascination The real relation The underlying theme
Living in a fisheye lens Caught in the camera eye I have no heart to lie I can’t pretend a stranger Is a long-awaited friend
All the world’s indeed a stage And we are merely players Performers and portrayers Each another’s audience Outside the gilded cage
So small talk is a horrible name then.
Could one, instead, just ask "Hey, are you willing to get into a big deep metaphysical conversation right now?" Then ask the question?
small talk
Personally I think it is a very interesting and purely object oriented name though you are right it technically isn't a functional one.