Recently a friend linked to an article on the wait but why site entitled 7 Ways to be Insufferable on Facebook. The post artfully dissected and humiliated virtually every type of FB posting that was not the author’s own, claiming that these 7 types of posts were largely self-serving and, for the most part, elitist and exclusionary. The author writes:
A Facebook status is annoying if it primarily serves the author and does nothing positive for anyone reading it.
My immediate reaction was one of guilt followed by disgust followed by cold, clinical theorizing. I mean, sure I am absolutely of what the writer calls insufferable. #2 of 7 is “Narcissism. The author’s thoughts, opinions, and life philosophies matter. The author and the author’s life are interesting in and of themselves.” Hell, I do that almost every Monday (and Wednesday, if you think my picks are vain). After I spent a few moments thinking that, yeah, I am that guy, I thought, ‘what is it to you?’ The first thing I teach in essay writing is credibility. I tell my students to first consider the source. So, who is this writer? I have no idea. On the surface the blog is a hyperbole and a half simulacrum with far less self deprecation and far more snark. On the surface, the only thing the blog does is what it claims the purpose of a facebook post should be:
To be unannoying, a Facebook status typically has to be one of two things:
1) Interesting/Informative
2) Funny/Amusing/EntertainingYou know why these are unannoying? Because things in those two categories do something for me, the reader.They make my day a little better.
Now, I was amused after I was guilty, because the writing is glib and I don’t take myself terribly seriously. However, when I did get serious about it I started to wonder what Facebook posts are for. Symbolic interaction theory suggests we recreate meaning and society through our symbols. Facebook is a new media medium for those interactions and the creation of meanings. When people share benign updates they are merely seeking forms of acceptance and connection to the larger world. Sure, it can be annoying, but it can also be the singular purpose of the medium.
If you don’t like it, go back to MySpace.
Some Thoughts:
- I am, of course, being insufferable here but I will mention that I did pretty well with my diet today, focusing on water and almonds as a healthy alternative. It got weird after school when I had a bit too much Wendy’s and topped off dinner with a slice of birthday cake. Progress aint always a leap.
- Watched a Honey Boo Boo wedding, because sometimes it is easier to look at others and say, your situation is very jacked. At the same time, those people seem really happy, and if this is genuine happiness then I am extremely happy for them, because it is hard to get to that place where you don’t care about social expectations and instead do what makes you feel good.