…that “First!” has GOT to go! For a while now, people have been muscling each other on the keyboards to be the very FIRST to comment. This happens mainly on the celebrity gossip blogs– which I admit I love to surf– but I’ve seen this phenomenon pop up on a few reputable news sites that allow comments.

“I’m first!” “I’m second.” “Oh, I’m not first, after all.” Next thing we know, “I’m 10000000th!” will be keyed in. What is up with being first? It’s like a virtual marathon, where the cyber-runners are clamoring and almost dying while vying to be the first to comment on various blogs and forums. I once counted 9 “First!” comments on a forum and I was wondering if the moderator/owner appreciated the precious server space these insignifcant comments gobble up. How annoying.

But what’s even more annoying is that the “First” phrase is ripe with misspellings such as “Fist”, “Firt”, “Frist”, and even “1th”. Spellcheck and common sense are abandoned because of people racing against the clock lest someone else triumphs in snatching the “First” crown away from their clutches.

I’m not the only one who feels this way. “I’m glad to comment on a blog where people are mature enough to resist typing in ‘First’ all the damned time,” one commenter on a blog pointed out. Another gossip aficionado sheepishly confessed that she felt a rush knowing that she was the first to put her stamp on the comment section of a blog. Are people’s self esteem so vulnerable nowadays that in order to bolster it, instant personal gratification is obtained by saying “First!” on a blog/forum? I hope someone can please enlighten me on what the prize is when you’re admitted to the “First!” winner’s circle.

“I always check to see if I’m the first one to comment. Its a bad habit, I guess,” a fellow gossip hound shrugged.

Like all bad habits, the need to claim “first!” needs to be broken. Pronto.

And that’s the LAST word on this subject. NEXT!