A recent survey debunked what blogs like STFU Parents have long complained about: Moms really don’t post too many baby pictures on Facebook, reports Slate. It’s just that people love themselves a new baby picture, so they’re more likely to hit “Like.” That pushes the offending photo of Junior up in the mysterious Facebook algorithm and voila! You see that damn baby all the time. Or do you?
Slate reports: “The proportion of posts mentioning the baby drops off sharply after the first month, continuing to fall as the kid ages.” Which makes little sense because we all know that 90% of newborn babies look like Winston Churchill. Why not wait until he or she has some personality and hair?
As a mom and mom blogger, I have a large proportion of posts by people who are mothers in my Facebook feed. Here is my (unscientific) breakdown of the types of things they tend to post:
- Reports on the %$%# snow/ice causing school to close, close early or open late. These posts tend to also mention wine and wine products.
- Requests for help on middle school math problems, because X always needs to be solved for, and usually by tomorrow.
- Birthday wishes to small people who somehow had all been babies the day before.
- Links to Jon Stewart skits, their own blogs, #$%$ weather reports.
- Some horrifying story about threats to your family that quickly gets Snoped by someone else.
- Pictures of cats.
- Heartwarming stories of people who done good, like this teen who rescued an abducted girl.
So STFU people who complain about baby photos in your Facebook feed. But please, Like my cat, okay?