Why Do People Like Stupid Posts on Facebook?

Facebook is not the best place to log into if you want to feel good about yourself or your life.  In fact, it may be the most depressing place to be if you are bored and feeling down on yourself.  The problem is that it's too easy to just hit the Facebook app on your phone and see what is happening.  It's an addiction for many, who think that there's some virtue in staying abreast of the barrage of information that is spilling in at any given moment.  

If you have gotten yourself to post something witty or interesting, you may find yourself wondering if it got any reactions or sparked a conversation with your "friends."  Sadly, more often than not, posts don't spark many conversations unless you are in the right "cliques."  For those who are not connected with enough like-minded people who think just the same as you do, you are not going to get the bread and butter of Facebook--that being the almighty like!  

You scroll through your Facebook feed, wondering why your awesome post didn't get any reactions, and comparing yourself and your own popularity to others who seem to be Facebook stars.  You know the ones.  They post the stupidest political posts and angry rants and end up getting a tsunami of likes and comments.  You wonder why your posts don't live up to that.

Maybe something is wrong with you?  That's what you wonder, anyway, as you see that your posts are pretty much ignored while others are igniting with likes and comments.  

Here's a good example of the post type that I am talking about:

This individual must be super proud of himself.  He happened to garner 20 reactions, got a comment, and a share.  This is the kind of post that people spend their time reading and liking.  No matter what your political affiliation, this kind of post is garbage.  Seeing a grown adult man throw a temper tantrum on the internet is not a good use of time.  It doesn't make anyone feel better about how they spend their time.  Granted, sometimes we need to just spend some time away from productivity and relax, but this is just vile.  Slinging mud at people who don't agree with you is not worth giving a positive reaction to.  Don't these people know that they are just validating this kind of behavior?  Sick!  

Let's take a look at another kind of post.  A battle cry by someone whose life on Facebook is pure politics and conspiracy.  This individual has sunk low into the pit of conspiracy and fear.  This is the kind of person who had no business having children.  However, the ones she has are being groomed to be just like her.  

If you think that you can compete with these types of posts on Facebook, you may want to realize that it's going to be hard.  Sure, you can try to post good pictures of your family or life, but even a good food picture can't get this taste out of your mouth.  

Why do people like stupid posts on Facebook?  Maybe it's pity?  Maybe it's because deep down inside we all have some mental illness that's crying to get out?  Maybe it's part of the culture?  Maybe we tend to agree with what's being said in some way.  Maybe we feel a duty to like these people's "cries for help" because they are friends or family.  Maybe Facebook purposely lets these posts go to the top so people are stirred up and find it harder to look away?  There could be many reasons for it.  Nobody really knows, but it's a type of sickness in itself.