it adds another layer of inference, one that unlike the cultural standard won't automatically be dereferenced by the people you're talking to.

A substantial supermajority of people I'm actually interested in talking to will get the reference immediately. I don't really object to just "hi," though, or anything similar. It's phrasing a social ping as an unmeant interrogative that bothers me. If anything, Benquo and those like him who actually mean it should agree; it confuses the signal, so if a person actually does want to know how I'm doing (or whatever), it comes across just like the fake version.