Pintail

Facebook Posters: What I Dislike About Them

Yes, I enjoy the connectedness that Facebook provides. But there are a few things that get my goat. The two that follow have to do with those picture posters — photos with sayings — that circulate in abundance.

1. The Eternal Typo

Typos and grammatical errors in those picture posters can be shared ad infinitum and thus go on forever. I understand typos are inevitable in status updates and comments posted. Most people don’t proof such things (editors usually do, but, alas, editors make mistakes too). But people attach clever sayings or heartfelt statements to photos (which are sometimes theirs and sometimes pirated from the Internet — but that’s another issue) and save them to their FB picture albums to be seen by all their friends and friends of friends.

Thus, I’ve seen an abundance of apostrophes where none belongs — the plural of mom as “mom’s,” for example, and so forth. Or outright misspellings shared over and over and over again. Drives me crazy.

2. Intimidation

But what’s worse is the intimidation of some of these custom posters. This is the Facebook equivalent of the chain email, wherein you are cursed if you fail to forward it. Now, if you don’t share the FB pic you’re in big trouble. Simply by letting your eyes fall across the words on your FB homepage you suddenly are under obligation.

I’m sorry, I don’t buy it. Here’s one that’s in especially poor taste that many have shared (please don’t):

“Do you love Jesus?

If yes click ‘share’

If not keep on scrolling.”

So the fact that I don’t stop and disseminate this verbal intimidation means I don’t love Jesus? I’m sorry. You’ve given me two choices, neither of which I like. I choose option 3: I will keep on scrolling AND love Jesus. (And maybe unfriend you.)

This is bad taste, bad logic, and bad theology. And it leaves a bad taste in my mouth for Facebook. Don’t threaten people with something as precious and sacred as one’s love for Jesus.

Some of these even phony up statistics: “97% of you will not share this.” And then some bogus assertion about you being special if you’re in the 3%. Sorry, it’s not a scientific poll!