I have always wondered about the paradoxical illusions of 'being social' that networking sites throw upon us. Gone past are the days when people were being social 'in person'. Today is an age of virtual reality and many social networking companies are making us realize about it. Today profiles make friendships and continue the virtual relationships by being connected 'digitally'. Strong bonds of digital relationships are being manufactured by likes, comments and sharing things over internet. We want ourselves getting noticed and this virtual, pseudo-social nature of networking is the fastest way to do it. Are we really being social? My view is a big NO.
Today's world is quite fast paced world. Here no one is allowed to take a stop or rest for a while. We are busy doing something or the other incessantly and that's how one becomes a successful person. Most of us are performing an act as per the script written for us. Some do it as it is required, some do it exceptionally well. Day starts with yesterdays work and ends with thoughts about tomorrow's. Where is the time for ourselves, our friends, our families, our passion? The time slots for all these are shrunk and one most peculiar thing that I have noticed is our definition of family is also getting shrunk. We may have more than 500 friends on face book but our family ends at me, my wife/husband, my kids and that's it. The true relationships ask for commitments, compromises, understanding and sacrifices. These are all reciprocating virtues. If you possess them , you can experience it in return. Are we running away from these? Are we being too selfish?
Unfortunately, the answer is Yes. We don't need these virtues to make friends over internet. Your new friends are just one click away. And that is the most easiest way to make friends and relationships. Isn't it?
There is one more important aspect to it - the need of association, the need of being noticed, the need of being appreciated. With such granular families, such a miniscule sphere of influence, we need somebody, some forum to recognize us so that we feel associated to some form of society. We want people to know where we went, what we cooked, what good things are happening in our lives so that they extend their acknowledgement, wishes to us. This gives us oxygen to breathe in tomorrow's polluted environments. And why not? These are the only good things happening and we want to share this to somebody. That how number of likes on your recipe is increasing and that's how you tend to like some good snaps of your friend on face book.
One thing is true that the likes of face book has kept the sense of relationships alive over distances. You can get any sorts of updates(either natural or manufactured) of anybody you wish over internet. Internet has bridged the distances between continents but it has reduced our ability to make human bonds. This is an era of personalities. The pseudo social networks are about personalities but we still need human connection to get to know the true characters.
Today's world is quite fast paced world. Here no one is allowed to take a stop or rest for a while. We are busy doing something or the other incessantly and that's how one becomes a successful person. Most of us are performing an act as per the script written for us. Some do it as it is required, some do it exceptionally well. Day starts with yesterdays work and ends with thoughts about tomorrow's. Where is the time for ourselves, our friends, our families, our passion? The time slots for all these are shrunk and one most peculiar thing that I have noticed is our definition of family is also getting shrunk. We may have more than 500 friends on face book but our family ends at me, my wife/husband, my kids and that's it. The true relationships ask for commitments, compromises, understanding and sacrifices. These are all reciprocating virtues. If you possess them , you can experience it in return. Are we running away from these? Are we being too selfish?
Unfortunately, the answer is Yes. We don't need these virtues to make friends over internet. Your new friends are just one click away. And that is the most easiest way to make friends and relationships. Isn't it?
There is one more important aspect to it - the need of association, the need of being noticed, the need of being appreciated. With such granular families, such a miniscule sphere of influence, we need somebody, some forum to recognize us so that we feel associated to some form of society. We want people to know where we went, what we cooked, what good things are happening in our lives so that they extend their acknowledgement, wishes to us. This gives us oxygen to breathe in tomorrow's polluted environments. And why not? These are the only good things happening and we want to share this to somebody. That how number of likes on your recipe is increasing and that's how you tend to like some good snaps of your friend on face book.
One thing is true that the likes of face book has kept the sense of relationships alive over distances. You can get any sorts of updates(either natural or manufactured) of anybody you wish over internet. Internet has bridged the distances between continents but it has reduced our ability to make human bonds. This is an era of personalities. The pseudo social networks are about personalities but we still need human connection to get to know the true characters.
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