Sunday, November 07, 2010

Facebook "Questions"

Of all the asinine features www.facebook.com has developed over the years (and we're talking farmville, mafia wars, the "how big is your brain" quiz series, the "autism spectrum test"), I think the facebook "questions" application/page HAS TO BE THE WORST.

At first I thought we all had the same "questions" show up on the side our profile.  But after consulting with several people, it turns out that, much like gmail advertisements, the questions are catered to the individual.  My friends have seen questions like, "which movie theater is closest to East Hampton" or "How many votes do the republicans need to pick up to get the majority in the house?"  My questions? Not so much.  Here is a sampling: 

I have rosemary aioli I made. I ate a sandwich with it, I ate french fries with it. Now what should I eat with itWhat was your favorite Modern Warfare 2 level?
What are some good dressing combinations at Subway?
How do I undo a delete? 
Why do people accuse Jay-Z, Beyonce, and Kanye West of being devil worshipers and part of the Illuminati? 
First: I don't even know how to begin answering these questions.  Hey Rosemary aoli girl - you know you don't have to eat mayonnaise at EVERY meal.  Modern Warfare guy - isn't there some sort of very specific geek only website where you can submit this question to be answered?  And Subway guy - are you SERIOUSLY asking this question? I hope you choke on a 6 inch meat lovers footlong dressed with vinegar, pepper, ranch dressing, onions, banana peppers, shredded cheese and olives.  Undo-delete girl is obviously the sort of person who mistakenly updates her status when she's trying to look up someone's profile, so she really deserves my pity, not my scorn.  And then I can't even FATHOM what was going through Illuminati girl's head when she asked this question, so i'm not going to touch it with a 10ft pole. 

But what concerns me is the following: why is facebook choosing these questions for me? Does facebook think my interests are as follows: mayonnaise, sandwiches, sedentary lifestyle choices, and rappers?  Okay - they might be right on that last one.  But I don't need facebook judging me! Who does Mark Zuckerberg think he is? Based on the IQ needed to answer my selected questions, one might think I am a high school drop out who WRITES IN ALL CAPS.  Mark Zuckerberg doesn't  have a college degree - but do you think facebook is selecting questions like, "if I mix mayo and ketchup together on a hot-dog, how will it taste?" for him? That mofo probably doesn't even HAVE the "questions" toolbar on his facebook homepage. 

Am I the only one getting these questions? Is there a PhD student out there who had, "if I smash my finger between my tv and vcr, will it hurt?" listed on the side of their facebook page? If so, I would feel better about myself.

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