A recent unrest among the users of Facebook, caused by a new “person feeds” feature highlights an important, but strangely overlooked, fact about the social mechanics on checking up on your friends: The most important thing about it is the social exchange, not the information exchange.
In other words, there’s a reason the correct reply to the greeting “Hi, how are you” is “Fine, how are you” and not “Well, you see - I’m feeling a bit bloated. I had too much to eat at lunch, but workwise I’m good”, or similar detailed accounts of your mental and physical state.