Updates, Photo Sharing, Comment, Following: Social Media's in(ter)vention.

It’s already been said but can’t be said enough!

Ever heard of Parallel world? I heard it when I was in class 6, and people around were talking all about the parallel worlds and how the things here are present there and how they affect things here. They surely were loafing around putting up their own brainless propaganda.

Years passed and a few more years passed, enter Orkut.I’m sure you remember it. We have migrated from it but we were there once and we loved it. It had a prompted seediness. We always wanted scraps to be added. There weren’t any notifications then so we refreshed the page anticipating some add ups. A little statistics won't hurt. The average time spent by Indians on the internet is 8hrs a day^[1] which is constantly rising and by 2015 there will be over 237 million internet users in India^[2]. So do we have to worry about it? The users and their average time spent, few numbers, what’s the rumpus?

 I’m not here to judge the whole internet spectrum in general. I’m worried about the effects of social media in particular. With some speculations you surely can understand the amount of time which could be possibly spent on the social media.

Yes. Facebook, Twitter, MySpace et al. There are over 45 million Facebook users in India^[3]and we can imagine the time spent on it by an average student. Ask yourself, what do you practically surf while on internet? There’s a wonderful development in the technology of browsers. They allow you to view multiple pages in the tabs and one abidingly is devoted to the Facebook. If it is not true in your case it surely is true for many around you.

 I remember once in an event where I was supposed to write articles for an international film festival, a workshop was conducted. The media head, Pranit Thakkar (name changed on request) asked us to constantly post the updates on the company page through Facebook and Twitter regarding the events. He started with a rhetorically funny question, “Ok, who is not on the Facebook?” There rose a hand and out of 24 it was the only one. The girl in front of me almost gasped, “O my God !What are you saying?”  Then Pranit did the same for Twitter and few more hands rose up this time. He surely seemed disgruntled, “What are you guys from? the Stone Age? How do you communicate nowadays? Via texts?” he asked.

Surely it isn’t appreciated if you choose to abstain yourself from the social media. Society laughs at you and you surely won’t have a healthy discussion with your friends as the Facebook related topics do surface every minute and you are left with nothing to contribute. They all are the servants of the social media and if you are not the slaves as they are, you’ll be compelled to be one. You’ll be ridiculed at, you’ll be boycotted and you’ll eventually turn in. You then sign up on the Facebook and are now the member of the clan. W.T.F, welcome to Facebook.

If you walk around the colleges in our city you’ll realize how deep the Facebook is rooted into the mannerisms of the people around. Availability of cameras on the phones is yet another encouragement. You roam around and you see something funny, you click. Just to upload it on the Facebook. You click, you update your status, you like and you comment. You crave for the likings and when there aren’t many you are disappointed. Your favorites die and you post RIP status and people like it. Females display love towards their dads on Facebook as if the dad’s got an account and yet there are 100 odd likes. What is more audacious is the ignorant behavior of the people around when they are doing such things. Everything is for the Facebook profile now. You score good marks; it has to be on Facebook. You break your ear drum; should be on the Facebook. You lose your shoe lace; on the Facebook. Your dad’s birthday; on the Facebook.  Brother’s day; on the Facebook. Someone got cancer? Share his picture and generate funds on the Facebook. And the list goes on. If something is happening, it should be on the Facebook no matter what!

There are relationship updates; there are cuddly pictures with the loved ones with mushy words written beneath (caption they call it). There are public displays of romance and there are kisses flared. What we forget then are the real moments. Before you can laugh peacefully someone clicks a picture and you need to look good. You go to a new place and your photo journey starts right from leaving your house.

You can try this when you are outing somewhere. Don’t take your cameras and forget about your social networking (I understand it’s a nightmare, but do it) and look at how silly it looks when there are others who are posing absurdly at every place they can. Look at the pressure on their faces and the efforts they put on in order to score one good profile picture with all the scenery behind. They are more into the photographs then at real places.  You need to keep posting and you need to put up to the amount of favoritism displayed by your virtual friends in the virtual world.

This reminds me of the parallel world I was talking earlier. The difference between the parallel world known earlier and discussed now is that I know how much it affects us and how helpless we are in order to protect ourselves from the dangers of the social media world. Let us live life, not Facebook!

References:
[1] Times Of India: Desi netizens spend over 8 hours a day online: Survey Mahafreed Irani, TNN Mar 29, 2012, 01.10AM IST.
[2] The Economic Times: 237 mn internet users in India by 2015: Report PTI Sep 2, 2010, 11.42am IST
[3] India Facebook Statistic, socialbakers.com.

Disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed are solely mine. Feel free to present counter views, challenge me or even tell me that I'm a completely ignorant dimwit in the comments section. You live in a free country and so do I. Ergo, I have the right to delete your displeasing (I decide) comments. So try and be polite.