Monday, May 31, 2010

Mind Block Shift

If you’re reading this blog entry, you’re obviously aware of how the world has gone digital and all that. You also might be aware of the constant over-analyzing done in terms of how the virtual world harms your actual one. Analysis that has the most secure and content people doubting the depth of their lives.

“If you have so many friends on Facebook that means you hardly speak to any of them.” “You’re a compulsive friend-collector, without having any meaningful relationship with that friend…” “How is it possible for you to keep in touch with so many people? "How can this be fulfilling? Get out of this virtual world…”

Is it possible for all these over-analyzers to fathom the fact that one can have a very, very full life online AS WELL AS offline – and one’s life offline is often the reason one’s life seems socially fulfilling online? Everyone doesn’t have to be a lonely depressed person – bordering on psychoses, just because they enjoy online social networking. Everyone does not have to be a loser pretending to be a girl on chat just for a lark. There are enough people on this planet who have managed to win hearts both in the flesh and through a computer screen.
Photo Credit

Now while I’m all for going out and meeting people, developing one-to-one relationships and chatting for hours on the phone – I also don’t see the harm in keeping in touch with this world through the internet. What might be too trivial to make a call for or type an SMS about is easy to share on a chat window or an email. Distance doesn’t separate me from my cousins’ inner-most feelings. My school pals can drop a note anytime – and I’ll know what’s happening with them even though we haven’t met in 10 years. My friends can now read my thoughts through my blog – hell, I don’t have to call and update 63 people when something good happens in my life!

In fact, this way I feel closer to my world – sharing stuff I could have never shared before – learning more about them than I ever knew.

That’s not to say one shouldn’t be exclusive. If you choose your friend lists carefully and share sensibly, these social networking sites often come out with more positives than negatives.

So instead of writing articles about how technology is isolating the world, instead of giving discourses in offices about how ‘in those days, we relied on physical presence to make a mark etc’, embrace your present – go out, make those friends, get to know them. Then use these websites for what they’re meant. To keep in touch and connect better with your world – keeping it fuller every day.

10 comments:

  1. Very well put. But the problem arises when we start refreshing every few minutes and when we realize we lost all time doing that, insecurity creeps in... But All said, FB IS AWESOME !

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  2. From a school pal who connected after 10 years: resonates again! Nice post :)

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  3. Life is only one and we have to do all it takes to live it to the full - online and offline - till it comes to a full stop!

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  4. Thank youuu all :)

    Kanishk I agree - there's a fine line between networking and just plain wasting time! :)

    Faruuu - I knew you'd like it...

    Veena - I had you in mind when I was writing that line!

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  5. Pajo! That thought was a bit morbid - but yes that's exactly what we're doing :)

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  6. I couldn't agree with you more! Its mad to see how often people have said the same to me. But having a blog itself has made people see a decent ability to write, in me! I dont go around reading out my poetry to people i know... now thanks to the blog I have people who dont know me, commenting and encouraging me to post sme more.

    And FB is just a way of communicating and keeping in touch... its a blessing in a way or else with the working hours I have, I would lose touch with everyone!

    Whats the most amazing part, I get to learn so much about my siblings (that they would never tell me) just through social sites. :)

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  7. Who designed your pictures and why is cartoon you thinner than me? Hehe :)

    And why are you not subscribing to my blog when I'm subscribing to yours?

    And what's up with people who have 1500 friends on Facebook? Like you said, I can understand 500, but 1500 is just suspect.

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  8. Well put, actually the world of online has moved beyond dark chatrooms to social connections. So the paradigm shift to my mind has been in moving connections in real world to online to be more efficient and manage conversations better. But I also do agree with FB when they limit the number to 5,000 cause all forms of communication fails in real life and virtual beyond a certain size.
    http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/30/fashion/30FACEBOOK.html

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  9. Gypsy :) I agree! The sibling part is super...and the digital world is a perfect way to share your writing!

    Minoti! Masterfile designed my images ;) And of course they're thin! That's aspirational! And speaking of 1500 friends n all, check out the article link sumanta posted below...

    Sumanta, deffff can't relate to adding people you've never even spoken to once just to enlarge friend lists - it misses the point totally! And yes I do remember a time when chat rooms were dark, lonely places! For mostly sex-starved ppl! LOL...

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