A friend’s scathing comment who questioned if my blog was dead has provoked me to write this. No, my blog isn’t dead. No, I haven’t succumbed to the demands of lethargy and laziness. No, my priorities haven’t changed either. Oh and no, I certainly haven’t forgotten my password (don’t be surprised...this is a serious problem given the miniscule size of my memory).
That made me thinking what exactly is the problem? Or, rather, is there really a problem?
So, what do I do all day? Apart from my classes which go on almost every day till 5 p.m. (though we have intermittent breaks in between that I exclusively devote to Facebook and Twitter), and the time I give to sleeping, eating, reading and writing (in order of importance), I’m pretty much free. No, wait. I also devote some few hours to Zjuvi (my laptop) and surf the net (though I have intermittent breaks in between that I exclusively devote to Facebook and Twitter). And then I spend some time surfing the net on my cell phone, when my laptop is getting its required energy from its charger. I check my mail, mostly (though I have intermittent breaks in between that I exclusively devote to Facebook and Twitter). Yeah, my life is pretty much caught in the net (pun intended).
OK. So, now I guess even a seventh grader will know what has been affecting my blogging frequency. Facebook and Twitter have conquered Blogger. What a shame! Or is it?
Facebook was a product of Mark Zuckerberg, of what was and is still being seen as revolutionary idea that gave social networking a whole new role to play, in 2004. I’m not sure if I even knew about its existence back then. May be because I was too busy on MySpace (pun intended). In 2006 came Twitter. I’m sure I knew when this was in the news, thanks to all political big-wigs and celebrities tweeting away to their success and failure. But I wasn’t a part of it because I was too busy Orkut-ing.
Well, the point I’m trying to make here, obviously, is the spreading and growing domination of social networking on the lives of people who have access to them. And globally, that is a large number. This includes not just Facebook or Twitter but also loads of other such sites that offer networking for complete introvert individuals who may have been dumb-struck and tongue-tied in front of beautiful women but suddenly find themselves powerful to ask her out in the virtual world. That power comes from the fact that it’s a virtual world. That it’s not real.
Chatting and e-dating is not a new concept anymore. In fact, I suspect it’s not as “cool” as Facebook or Twitter now. All these social networking sites (that includes Digg, Hi5, My Space) offer its users the opportunity to express with utmost freedom what they otherwise would not have been able to, in the “real world”. It allows other people on your “friend” lists to “like” or “dislike” it, the list that is ever-growing. I know people on Facebook with 678 “friends”. I wonder if they’ve met even half of them. I would term him/her the ultimate social being.
Besides, words like “poke”, “like”, “share”, “tweet”, “re-tweet”, “DM” (short for Direct Message) have acquired a new meaning. Especially the word “like”. Someone updated his status as thus: [User Name] is divorced! followed, of course, by that unforgettable non-smiley face : (.
The update had almost 30 “likes”. That was probably the morale booster the user needed to feel good after being victim to a marriage gone wrong! I don’t think he would have wanted to talk about this to anyone. But, he logs in on Facebook, updates his status, and invariably, in the process, announces this drastic change in his life to over 100 “friends” and “followers”.
In Twitterland, you don’t have “friends”. You have “followers”. It bugs me to end. For a proud, arrogant narcissistic woman that I am, I don’t think my ego will ever allow me to “follow” people, most of whom I’ve never even met. And yet, Twitter made me bow. Hats off!
So, the question really is how much are we dictated by them. Facebook and Twitter are not entirely the home of the jobless Internet freak. Almost every company, publishing house, magazine, website, newspaper, author, book, restaurant, car manufacturer, organization has its own Facebook or Twitter account, just so to keep a track on their “fans” and “followers”. For celebrities on Twitter, it is a way to reach out to their fans. Quite literally. Or so they claim.
It all comes down to what you use these sites for and how much they affect your daily, routine life. Who’s your boss, really?
As far as I am concerned, I’ll ask my “followers” and let you know. Maybe they’ll even “like” me for having asked them this question, in the first place.
That made me thinking what exactly is the problem? Or, rather, is there really a problem?
So, what do I do all day? Apart from my classes which go on almost every day till 5 p.m. (though we have intermittent breaks in between that I exclusively devote to Facebook and Twitter), and the time I give to sleeping, eating, reading and writing (in order of importance), I’m pretty much free. No, wait. I also devote some few hours to Zjuvi (my laptop) and surf the net (though I have intermittent breaks in between that I exclusively devote to Facebook and Twitter). And then I spend some time surfing the net on my cell phone, when my laptop is getting its required energy from its charger. I check my mail, mostly (though I have intermittent breaks in between that I exclusively devote to Facebook and Twitter). Yeah, my life is pretty much caught in the net (pun intended).
OK. So, now I guess even a seventh grader will know what has been affecting my blogging frequency. Facebook and Twitter have conquered Blogger. What a shame! Or is it?
Facebook was a product of Mark Zuckerberg, of what was and is still being seen as revolutionary idea that gave social networking a whole new role to play, in 2004. I’m not sure if I even knew about its existence back then. May be because I was too busy on MySpace (pun intended). In 2006 came Twitter. I’m sure I knew when this was in the news, thanks to all political big-wigs and celebrities tweeting away to their success and failure. But I wasn’t a part of it because I was too busy Orkut-ing.
Well, the point I’m trying to make here, obviously, is the spreading and growing domination of social networking on the lives of people who have access to them. And globally, that is a large number. This includes not just Facebook or Twitter but also loads of other such sites that offer networking for complete introvert individuals who may have been dumb-struck and tongue-tied in front of beautiful women but suddenly find themselves powerful to ask her out in the virtual world. That power comes from the fact that it’s a virtual world. That it’s not real.
Chatting and e-dating is not a new concept anymore. In fact, I suspect it’s not as “cool” as Facebook or Twitter now. All these social networking sites (that includes Digg, Hi5, My Space) offer its users the opportunity to express with utmost freedom what they otherwise would not have been able to, in the “real world”. It allows other people on your “friend” lists to “like” or “dislike” it, the list that is ever-growing. I know people on Facebook with 678 “friends”. I wonder if they’ve met even half of them. I would term him/her the ultimate social being.
Besides, words like “poke”, “like”, “share”, “tweet”, “re-tweet”, “DM” (short for Direct Message) have acquired a new meaning. Especially the word “like”. Someone updated his status as thus: [User Name] is divorced! followed, of course, by that unforgettable non-smiley face : (.
The update had almost 30 “likes”. That was probably the morale booster the user needed to feel good after being victim to a marriage gone wrong! I don’t think he would have wanted to talk about this to anyone. But, he logs in on Facebook, updates his status, and invariably, in the process, announces this drastic change in his life to over 100 “friends” and “followers”.
In Twitterland, you don’t have “friends”. You have “followers”. It bugs me to end. For a proud, arrogant narcissistic woman that I am, I don’t think my ego will ever allow me to “follow” people, most of whom I’ve never even met. And yet, Twitter made me bow. Hats off!
So, the question really is how much are we dictated by them. Facebook and Twitter are not entirely the home of the jobless Internet freak. Almost every company, publishing house, magazine, website, newspaper, author, book, restaurant, car manufacturer, organization has its own Facebook or Twitter account, just so to keep a track on their “fans” and “followers”. For celebrities on Twitter, it is a way to reach out to their fans. Quite literally. Or so they claim.
It all comes down to what you use these sites for and how much they affect your daily, routine life. Who’s your boss, really?
As far as I am concerned, I’ll ask my “followers” and let you know. Maybe they’ll even “like” me for having asked them this question, in the first place.
Too very often I receive mails from Facebook, LinkedIn and other social networking portals stating 'so & so' friend of yours has invited you or wanted to network with you and so on. Ever since the first mail, those have been filtered to trash bypassing my Inbox. It is not I just hate them, but, there seems to be a lot of time constraint in paying them attention. Since am a strong believer of the fact that 'anything outdated online is as good as NON-EXISTING' makes me stay away from all social networks.
ReplyDeleteSometimes, when others hear that am not on Orkut, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc., their reaction for a fraction of a second makes me feel 'can I never be a (social) human without being out there!?'.
Anyways, life to me, seems pretty normal without facebooking & tweeting :o)
@Prashanth
ReplyDeleteVery true, Prashanth. I belonged to the same era where you are until unavoidable factors involved me into the "Web" of social networking. I was on Orkut but rarely logged in. I used to get never-ending mails (I still do, as a mater of fact) from other sites like Zorpia, Digg, MingleBox and blah blah!
All my friends pushed me into Facebook and I felt like a penguin in a desert. Not anymore, though. I'm not really addicted to it, but then I always find something or the other to do there.
Twitter is something I've never understood. Even today. But I'm there to "follow" people and their tweets.
Joining LinkedIn was a consequence of the anticipation and anxiety of not getting a job.
So, there you go!
Yup!
ReplyDeleteDeepa, I have many a times tried to shape myself to best fit on Twitter; but, till date I haven't understood the basic concept of it and so it has kept me far away. Its said there are lot many things to do on Facebook, true; also true is the fact that I will not be able to do so much either.
When recently attended a Seminar, I had left blank the 'email' column at registration. Later when I thought of it, felt weird. Don't know what made me to do so. Somewhere I feel, the ever growing social networking on the web has made me more reserved than ever :o)
@Prashanth
ReplyDeleteFrom my own personal experience, I've observed that most users of social networking sites are introvert, reserved people. Perhaps the anxieties they face in the real world is all erased in a virtual world that offers them the platform to be whatever they want without the fear of being judged. What's more, you can write anything and everything in your profile. Most of my friends have the most fake profiles for their own reasons.
P.S. I'm a reserved person too. From a recent study, it has been found out that most profiles reflect the personality of the user. I wonder if mine reflects the same :o)