With or without you ‘FB’

Facebook, twitter, blogs…what are they…They are our human representatives…our new friends..our companions!!!!

In earlier days we had our families, our friends to share with…but now, in this so-called jet-age, we only have time for the virtual world…

We claim to be super occupied, extremely busy, with no time to breathe…but still more often than not, we log ourselves in and then very casually go on to the social networking portals and update the status; ‘very busy’.

Every small detail whether someone buys a new dress, or went to the doctor or saw xyz or a movie/product review, or moods…everything is made public…everything is spoken about.

What is this fascination of being heard, of getting noticed….on some levels of thoughts…isn’t it human’s desire of being acknowledged? Why do we need constant validation for everything that we do or for every thought that we possess?

In an age of self proclamation, where, from the age of 2, a child is taught to have his own mind, to take his own decision, to go ahead and create a mark, a change, then why is there a need to make people hear whatever our thoughts are? Or is it because we feel it to be our deemed right to declare all that crosses our minds and our hearts. Or is it because we need to ensure that the world is aware of our existence?

Why have we become so opinionated? What is the need for it? Isn’t that a form of space intrusion or is it really being in sync with all that encompasses us? Why is there this need to get our views supported by others? Why do we need to enforce others to like/hear/notice anything that we do/say? Aren’t we the gen-X who always stated that space is our birthright and we have no interest in others being? Then why are we letting these engulf our simpler times? The irony is we people keep cribbing about space and the lack of it and then on the other hand, we force our kith and kins to know what’s going on in our lives. Isn’t that what we have become, a paradox.

One of the few answers, which hit my mind, are: we have become like this, primary out of insecurity; the world around is moving too fast and if we don’t match its pace, we’ll just get lost somewhere. All of us, somewhere deep down within us, have this irresistible desire to be desired; it’s an identity crisis – a battle which each one leads. On a softer note, it is an innocent manner to say you’re there and you care – enough to spend that minute of thought in this dynamic time. We say things inorder to be felt alive, we need to scream to make our presence felt.

The world is changing; everything is getting redefined – earlier where ‘intangible’ was associated about things which couldn’t be quantified or a person who cannot be substituted – today, has a new meaning. Intangible today signifies anything which can be passed through wires, go around on chips or can be accessed at the click of a button. If you pass these parameters, then you have a cool quotient, an omnipresent tag.

Now-a-days, sex is possible over the phone or the internet, infact a certain section of the society calls it better, clean and ‘worry-free’ – imagine what all has the human mind endured – from things which were purely about touch and feel – today is just about machines and gadgets. Relationships, which endure the test of virtual space, are the ones which claim to have seen the worst stage ever.

Today we can go through without seeing someone in person, or hearing the sound of one’s voice but to not know what is the latest status update is just not acceptable…

All of us today are spell bound by ‘FB’…we people have taken it to be the ultimate level of being connected…..FB is the best thing that could have ever happened to mankind.

I know of friends who never wanted to join the FB bandwagon but due to peer pressure, they gave in. They had to put up pictures…were forced to create things on their mind so that they could update their status’. Not being on FB is a social stigma. Now they religiously update their status and put up happy, weird pictures and feel a part of the biggest virtual world.

As a fellow facebooker, I can vouch that so many times after I have posted what’s on my mind, I feel better and then when people like my status or comment thereafter, its a relief. And if they say that they like the thought so much that they could put it up as their status, then it just comforts you. You feel you are not alone. You have a world full of people who are just like you or would like to be you and this is the way they declare, in their tiny space of FB. There isn’t an iota of doubt that we have become more connected and come closer as against the time gone by. But we miss the warmth of human touch.

My friends who stay across the ocean feel that am alive and kicking because of our regular visits online. If there is anything which bothers, all I need to do is to post that thought and I get (virtual) hugs and (virtual) kisses and I really feel better. A boyfriend feels his duties towards his girl are done, the sooner he posts a rendition as a link on the web. A teen feels overwhelmed at saying ‘I miss you’ to his parents over the net and thinks that he’s the best child his parents could’ve ever asked for.

These days, when no one has time for the other, being acknowledged on these portals is the best way of survival. There are (virtual) communities being built for a group of like minded people. We take pride by joining certain causes and issues and feel we’re part of the big change.

To sum up, whether we like it or not, it is a way wherein people learn things about us; they can understand us, empathise, sympathise or take pity at us. They rejoice in our happiness and feel upset at our sadness. It is the modern way of becoming close, making the world a small place.

At the end what have I done…instead of discussing it with a few friends…I rambled on my thoughts to a webpage and wrote a blog.