A bunch of good friends were talking being in touch few years down the line. I occupied a table next to theirs at a coffee shop, engrossed in reading Somerset Maugham’s “Of Human Bondage”, when a line by one of the youngster in the group befuddled me. It was a taunt to one their friend who probably was not a part of the latest social networking revolution, “this bugger doesn’t have a Facebook even, how to trace him and be in touch with him”
Why does one need to have an account on social networking site if you want to be in touch with your friend? I am in touch with so many of my friends, even over distances apart (saat samundar paar types), from the times when there were no mobile phones even, let alone Facebook or Orkut accounts. Writing letters on those blue coloured inland letters was fun; I still love writing letters.
I still don’t have a Facebook or Orkut account (Oh my my… what a sin! Errghh). Apologies, I am still a laggard soul in trying to be a part of this revolution, I may never be a part one – I am busy “enjoying” the Baba and Anna revolution.
I have phone numbers, email ids, residential address of all my friends with whom I want to be in touch with. I don’t understand what fun it is say “Hi”, “Whatsup” on those sites or poke, ping, buzz, like and scrap…ahh what the…..crap.
Wouldn’t it be nice instead to pick up the phone to ask your friend right away – “what’s up?”
I am still confused about what people do on these sites. The only people who have definitely benefited will be the one who created these sites. Ironically, though these sites boast of boosting connectivity with people, they actually are pushing individuals towards isolation and alienation of the self – it restricts yourself to just a table, chair, and your computer, whereas there are much better options to connect with your friends with a personal touch, perchance.
I have seen few amazingly surprising messages on these sites – “Took a refreshing shower”, “Saw the ‘most prettiest’ face in the mall today” et al. Why and where is the need to shout all this to the world? In a way you are getting infantalised by excessive usage of social networking sites. One analysis by a neuroscientist reported that usage of these social networking sites can cause attention deficit disorders, induce selfishness, hallucination of shaky virtual identity, etc.
Nothing can replace meeting friends over coffee or beer or perhaps even just like that. Real people, real conversations, real ideas should be the fascination and not passing over messages on the social networking sites, perhaps the dumbest thing to do. Social networking sites are just a media and a media is just a tool, it cannot replace real stuff.
Probably, ignoring it would be haven. I have stayed away from it for so many years and it is not difficult at all. Not being a part of this crazy revolution could also be revolutionary thing to do.
P.S. – Outside the campus of a reputed engineering college, I saw a banner – “One day seminar on Marketing Strategies using Facebook. Invited….blah blah blah…..Yours Socially”. Aaah, “You are So Silly,” I grunted. Engineering college should be motivating engineers to create something revolutionary (pun intended) like Facebook and not encouraging them to become a slave to that social conduit.
Why does one need to have an account on social networking site if you want to be in touch with your friend? I am in touch with so many of my friends, even over distances apart (saat samundar paar types), from the times when there were no mobile phones even, let alone Facebook or Orkut accounts. Writing letters on those blue coloured inland letters was fun; I still love writing letters.
I still don’t have a Facebook or Orkut account (Oh my my… what a sin! Errghh). Apologies, I am still a laggard soul in trying to be a part of this revolution, I may never be a part one – I am busy “enjoying” the Baba and Anna revolution.
I have phone numbers, email ids, residential address of all my friends with whom I want to be in touch with. I don’t understand what fun it is say “Hi”, “Whatsup” on those sites or poke, ping, buzz, like and scrap…ahh what the…..crap.
Wouldn’t it be nice instead to pick up the phone to ask your friend right away – “what’s up?”
I am still confused about what people do on these sites. The only people who have definitely benefited will be the one who created these sites. Ironically, though these sites boast of boosting connectivity with people, they actually are pushing individuals towards isolation and alienation of the self – it restricts yourself to just a table, chair, and your computer, whereas there are much better options to connect with your friends with a personal touch, perchance.
I have seen few amazingly surprising messages on these sites – “Took a refreshing shower”, “Saw the ‘most prettiest’ face in the mall today” et al. Why and where is the need to shout all this to the world? In a way you are getting infantalised by excessive usage of social networking sites. One analysis by a neuroscientist reported that usage of these social networking sites can cause attention deficit disorders, induce selfishness, hallucination of shaky virtual identity, etc.
Nothing can replace meeting friends over coffee or beer or perhaps even just like that. Real people, real conversations, real ideas should be the fascination and not passing over messages on the social networking sites, perhaps the dumbest thing to do. Social networking sites are just a media and a media is just a tool, it cannot replace real stuff.
Probably, ignoring it would be haven. I have stayed away from it for so many years and it is not difficult at all. Not being a part of this crazy revolution could also be revolutionary thing to do.
P.S. – Outside the campus of a reputed engineering college, I saw a banner – “One day seminar on Marketing Strategies using Facebook. Invited….blah blah blah…..Yours Socially”. Aaah, “You are So Silly,” I grunted. Engineering college should be motivating engineers to create something revolutionary (pun intended) like Facebook and not encouraging them to become a slave to that social conduit.
- P. K. Dastoor
Categories:
Behaviour,
Human Bondage,
Human Emotion,
Media,
P. K. Dastoor,
Psychology,
Relationships,
Social Networking
