I love the Facebook.  Love. It.  It’s where I get a disproportionate amount of my news, catch up with old friends, find out what my peeps are having for lunch, and find the best videos of cats.  I am, without question, guilty of checking in most places I go as though no one can get through their day without knowing I’m at the Fifty/50 Club, overstating my cats’ importance in the universe, and occasionally posting pictures of my dinner.  (Which I will defend.  I challenge you to not see a picture of my fabulous pot roast without wanting some for yourself.)

That being said, waking up this morning to 57 updates about how cold it was kind of made me want to punch things.  I know it’s cold.  I live here too.  So do 97% of your friends.  They all woke up to the same weather outlook on their phones – hardly any need to post a picture reminding everyone how everything on your body is going to freeze immediately upon stepping outdoors.  Yes, it’s zero degrees.  If it were July, or perhaps we lived in Texas, this would be news.  Being that we live in Chicago and it’s January, I feel as though telling everyone it’s cold is akin to posting, “Hey, it’s morning!  The sun came up again.”

Those aren’t the posts that make me crazy though.  (Mostly because it’s entirely possible I’ve done it in the past.  But no more!)  These are the ones that make me want to turn off the internet forever.

😦  So Sad Right Now.

• Said status is usually followed by multiple inquiries as to the poster’s mental health and wellness, which is then followed by the original poster responding with something super cryptic that gives zero information.  What??  What’s wrong?  First of all, you’ve piqued my interest, which I have to believe was your intent.  Now I want to know how to proceed.  Do you need consolation?  A hug?  Thoughts and prayers?  A swift kick in the ass?  Do I need to send flowers? And most of all – WHAT HAPPENED, DAMMIT???

Great news!!!  Can’t Tell Anyone Yet but Yay!!!

• You dick.  Everyone thinks you’re pregnant, FYI.  And when you aren’t, and you follow up with something like, “We’re moving!” we are disappointed.  If you can’t tell your good news, it isn’t good news yet.

And Then I’m Going Here, and Then Here, and Then Here, and Finishing Up Here.

• My life is boring enough, thanks.  I don’t need to follow along with your mundane-ass errands, each of which you will check in from.  You made it to Whole Foods?  Awesome!  And here I was sitting on pins and needles wondering if the traffic was going to put a dent in your timeframe.

If This Page Gets 10,000 Likes, This Child Will Get to Ride a Unicorn.  TO THE MOON.

• There is plenty of good that can come from Facebook viral campaigns and I do not mean to detract from that; I have surely been known to post something on the long shot it will make a difference.  But snopes.com exists for a reason, folks.  That girl Penny has been missing for like four years.  It’s not an Amber Alert anymore.  “Post this if you want to erase cancer!  ABC Company will donate $1 for every like!”  No, they won’t.  But they now have 200,000 people following their page.  Is there a word for slimy marketing?  Because that’s what this is.  Stop feeding the bear.  Please.

Have I ever been guilty of irritating, irrelevant posts?  Absolutely.  I’m not excluding myself from the above criterion.  But I’m relatively sure we can all agree that if you don’t care that I am on my way to grocery shop, chances are I don’t give a fuck that you are either.  Let’s make a conscious effort, shall we?  Saw someone tightrope walking an electrical wire across the street at 8AM?  Pictures, please.  On your way to the gym?  Not interested.

What status updates make you want to quit the internet?