300: Facebook

Explain xkcd: It's 'cause you're dumb.
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'Here, I'll put my number in your cell pho -- wait, why is it already here?'
Title text: 'Here, I'll put my number in your cell pho -- wait, why is it already here?'

Explanation[edit]

This comic approaches how Social networks have changed the ways of human interaction. With everyone placing their personal interests on their Facebook profile pages, it has become fairly easy to gather a lot of information about people. In the comic, Cueball uses this information to his advantage: He ascertained Megan's musical preferences beforehand in order to create the illusion of their sharing mutual interests. Megan is led to believe that he is like-minded, thus making it easier for Cueball to persuade her into having sex with him. Here the comic takes at the fact that many people use Facebook as a hunting ground for sexual contacts.

Apparently, Megan did not only mention her favorite bands in her profile, but also her preferred sex position. This can be read as a sideswipe at what intimate details some people are willing to share on the internet. Although mentioning sexual preferences is hyperbolic here.

Megan's taste in both fields can be regarded as outside the mainstream. Regina Spektor and The Polyphonic Spree are representatives of the indie pop genre. The Wheelbarrow (NSFW) features the man standing behind the woman and holding her legs, while she props up in a wheelbarrow-like position. The retrograde variant has the woman facing upwards. Unusual sex positions are also mentioned in comics 414: Mistranslations and 487: Numerical Sex Positions.

The title text suggests that Cueball did not stop at reading Megan's interests on her Facebook profile, but also obtained her phone number and placed it in his phone. It is implied that some of the "mildly sleazy" uses of Facebook can border on the verge of stalking. When Megan discovers the number, she may realize this and stay clear of Cueball...

Transcript[edit]

Mildly sleazy uses of Facebook, part 14:
Looking up someone's profile before introducing yourself so you know which of your favorite bands to mention
Cueball: Favorite bands? Hmm...
Cueball: Maybe Regina Spektor or the Polyphonic Spree.
Megan: Whoa, those are two of my favorites, too!
Megan: Clearly, we should have sex.
Cueball: Okay! My favorite position is the retrograde wheelbarrow.
[Megan raises arms.]
Megan: Ohmygod, mine too!


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Discussion

I interpreted the title text as Megan putting her number in Cueball's phone, not the other way around. As she is the one being 'stalked', that seemed to make more sense than the given explanation.115.70.105.180 01:16, 16 July 2013 (UTC)

Same. I have no clue why it was written the way it was, so I went and changed it. Schiffy (Speak to me|What I've done) 01:24, 16 July 2013 (UTC)

Since 2012, this process has been made easier for you with the Girls Around Me app for your phone! Now you can spend five minutes outside a bar and have everything you need to go inside and make a score. Because mild sleaze/stalking is what everybody wants these days.173.245.54.194 15:05, 7 November 2014 (UTC)

This seems like a good point to say thank you for "Explain xkct." Because there are some things I know better than to Google for myself, but would still like a general idea of. 108.162.221.64 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

It seems wheelbarrow and retrograde wheelbarrow are reversed in the explanation. Wheelbarrow is face-to-face, retrograde is face-to-back. -- Flewk (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)