Perhaps I'm alone in this but I learned in high school that, to a certain degree, being "social" is the art of social manipulation. I'm sure some people are so

Perhaps I'm alone in this but I learned in high school that, to a certain degree, being "social" is the art of social manipulation. I'm sure some people are so endlessly outgoing (or attractive, that can minimize any kind of personality requirements) that they can actually "be themselves" and be immensely popular, but the truth is that I don't think most people hold that personality trait. There's a certain amount of lying that's necessary to be social in American high school and its perfectly possible to learn it and still be a "geek," but it requires careful study and introspection. More than anything, you'll need to change your personality depending on who you talk to. Some people seem to acquire this talent easily, others have to put in more effort. If you do, however, you can become popular, which is really just another way of saying that you've discovered how to become relatable to a large group of people (which I'm not sure is possible without a heavy dose of social and image manipulation).