Socks?!?

Okay, can someone PLEASE tell me what the big deal about socks is? For some reason, everyone and their mother is obsessed with socks and seems to be knitting almost exclusively socks. What's the big deal? Just that they're portable? Lots of projects are portable. Why spend so much energy and hurt your hands working on teeny weeny needles when they're just going to go in a shoe? Maybe I'll change my mind and eat my words someday but right now I think there are many things more interesting than socks. Geez!