i use "tfw" more than "mfw", even when "mfw" would be more appropriate. i wonder what that says about me
judging by the sample size of the 7 people who answered my twitter poll, i am not alone in this
i think tfw is just funnier for abstract reasons, plus it implies that the viewer might have also experienced That Feel, and we all know that the Relatable Content is what the teens want
mfw is more for like, extremely specific circumstances that probably wouldn't have happened to anyone else i think
if i were mike rugnetta i'd probably have some broad semiotic point to make about the use of tfw and mfw, or perhaps something to say about their evolution from 4chan greentext standards to options in the tool belt of everyone looking to make good posts (but not, say, the >arrows or the phrasing eg:
>be me
>be 17), but i'm not mike rugnetta so that's all i'll say
also a good point that @Trev brought up is that tfw doesn't necessarily require an image -- one can just say "tfw" and conjure That Feel in their audience, while mfw basically requires an image to be the titular "my face"
@lycaon @Trev yeah i totally agree. The flexibility, generality and interpretation make it a better tool for communicating feelings rather than mfw which communicates a specific instance of an image. The lost generality and interpretation make it stricter in its use and less interesting in communication, at least to me. It seems like something is lost in communication when using a specific image representing your reaction, rather than an abstract claim
@lycaon @Trev this is basically why i prefer tfw to mfw. I'm just lazy and dont hoard reaction images.