I Like This

As a few of you may have noticed, we live in an age of rapid technological advancement, during which more avenues of entertainment and interaction pop up over a decade than they had during entire generations of the past. Luckily, society has a way of forcing its morals and standards onto new mediums. For example, there are certain faux pas on Facebook that almost go without mentioning. Let's examine one.

The act of "liking" one's own status or comment is recognized as a sure fire mark of an imbecile. When one witnesses someone "liking" his/her own status, it's usually in conjunction with a bursting-with-bull shit post.

It's self evident that this isn't something you do. When one does, one is almost always called out for it. Also, when one does this, others are less inclined to "like" the status/post, regardless of quality. It would be like turning in a assignment that you've already graded for the professor (I've done this as a joke, and was urged not to go into teaching, as I am "wildly too generous of a grader").

Now, since I enjoy challenging social norms on rare occasion, I'm asking the most dangerous question known to man: why?

The way I see it, everything you post on Facebook immediately becomes part of the Public Domain, which is to say that it is out in the open for all to see and judge. In effect, if you post something on Facebook, you are publishing thoughts. 

As an aspiring writer and part time alcoholic (I only work nights and weekends), I take the view that if you're going to publish something, you better enjoy it. You better feel some sort of accomplishment or pride in your material, at least enough to proofread it for typoes. Unless you're posting tragic news (e.i. your sibling just got sodomized by a sea lion) or a request ("can someone drive me to the beach? My brother bet me I couldn't shart on a sea lion"), then most likely your post is expressing an opinion.

If this is the case, then you should like your own opinion. If not, don't share it with the rest of us.