I realise that most people around me are members of at least one (though in most cases it is more) social networking sites.
Personally, I keep away from these. I was a member of one of them a long time ago, but left because I got in touch with one useful person who I could subsequently remain, and did remain in contact with via email.
Apart from the admission that there is a popularity contest at these places, and the person with most number of "friends" wins- a good time to take another look at this word perhaps*- there is a definite voyeuristic pleasure that people derive out of these places.
"Addictive" is one word people have used for one of them....Facebook. Now I, of the non- social networking- and- having- few- friends category, did not understand how this was possible. What did one do at these places for hours? I was told that you could spend hours going from one profile to another, reading about other people's lives and love. And obviously, if you keep following link after link, there will come a time when you are just looking around at people you don't know.
Such is the craze, that the fact that one can still survive and be a part of the human race if one isn't a member of any of these, strikes people as shocking. People automatically assume that you must be on it.
"Send me photographs", I said to a friend recently.
"Oh, they're on my facebook thing"
"Umm...I am not on facebook!"
"You and your vagueness. Everyone is on it"
"Ummm...clearly not everyone!"
And even better than that was getting scolded for having deleted my profile from facebook! This was a shocker. "Where have you been? Why have you gone underground? Haven't called. Haven't messaged. Facebook profile deleted!"
Holy Cow: "Been here" "Haven't" "Neither have you" X 2 "Hmm...Wait a second!! What??! I was never on the damn thing to begin with!"
Personally, I keep away from these. I was a member of one of them a long time ago, but left because I got in touch with one useful person who I could subsequently remain, and did remain in contact with via email.
Apart from the admission that there is a popularity contest at these places, and the person with most number of "friends" wins- a good time to take another look at this word perhaps*- there is a definite voyeuristic pleasure that people derive out of these places.
"Addictive" is one word people have used for one of them....Facebook. Now I, of the non- social networking- and- having- few- friends category, did not understand how this was possible. What did one do at these places for hours? I was told that you could spend hours going from one profile to another, reading about other people's lives and love. And obviously, if you keep following link after link, there will come a time when you are just looking around at people you don't know.
Such is the craze, that the fact that one can still survive and be a part of the human race if one isn't a member of any of these, strikes people as shocking. People automatically assume that you must be on it.
"Send me photographs", I said to a friend recently.
"Oh, they're on my facebook thing"
"Umm...I am not on facebook!"
"You and your vagueness. Everyone is on it"
"Ummm...clearly not everyone!"
And even better than that was getting scolded for having deleted my profile from facebook! This was a shocker. "Where have you been? Why have you gone underground? Haven't called. Haven't messaged. Facebook profile deleted!"
Holy Cow: "Been here" "Haven't" "Neither have you" X 2 "Hmm...Wait a second!! What??! I was never on the damn thing to begin with!"
* For more, see this
