It’s been said that when it comes to storytelling – books, movies, and plays – there are just seven story arcs that keep getting worked and reworked again and again. In The Seven Basic Plots, Christopher Booker (who worked on the book for 34 years!) catalogues them:

1. Overcoming the monster
2. Rags to riches
3. The quest
4. Voyage and return
5. Comedy
6. Tragedy
7. Rebirth

And when you think about it, everything from David and Goliath (overcoming the monster) to Indiana Jones (the quest) to “Animal House” (comedy) fit pretty neatly into these seven storylines.

And so it is with Facebook posts. I’ve been on the platform now for close to a decade, but I do not consider myself a skilled Facebook poster. In fact, you could say I severely misuse Facebook, posting very little about myself personally and focusing more on this blog.

That said, I do my fair share of lurking. And while my effort is nowhere near as exhaustive as Christopher Booker’s, I get a sense of déjà vu quite often while on Facebook. That’s because despite the large number of Facebook users and how often they use the platform, the same basic “storylines” seem to repeat themselves.

It turns out that each and every day, Kissmetrics reports there are 55 million status updates on Facebook.

Yet, when you take a deeper dive into what appears on Facebook status updates, research shows there are just 13 posts that we keep reading – and rereading and rereading.

Actually, I’m the “research,” but tell me I’m wrong. I’ve boiled all those status updates down to just this small number of basic themes:

1. My pet died/Isn’t my pet cute?

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2.  __ years ago, I married the most amazing ___ ever

3. I have a new job/Shit, I lost my job

4. I don’t usually rant about politics, but…

5. What an amazing vacation we’re having

6. Someone close to me died/We have a new arrival!

7. Look what my kid/spouse just did

8. Look what I just did

9. My team won

10. It’s #TBT

11. Here’s something clever/funny/pathetic you just have to see

12. It’s my birthday (257 likes, 36 comments)

13. This is a post to be sure you’ve really read my posts

Now you may come up with new listings here (so have at it), but it’s truly amazing how the most massive social interaction communications tool is actually the same things repeating themselves…again and again.

Perhaps this post will inspire some creativity on the part of Facebook users. After all, we programmers often hear a lot about not enough variety and too much repetition.

So to make my Facebook browsing more entertaining, please raise your status update games.

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Fred Jacobs

President & Founder at Jacobs Media

Fred Jacobs founded Jacobs Media in 1983, and quickly became known for the creation of the Classic Rock radio format.

Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.

In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.

Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.

Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.

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