It's a type of social networking. We socialize and make useful contacts. It's almost drama free and I really like that.
I saw (on some stupid FB post) an elf squatting and filling a snickerdoodle (the Hershey's Kiss kind) on a shelf. That was the only time I've heard of Elf on the Shelf until this thread. Now I'm hoping the typical elf career is not baking cookies for Christmas parties.