On being social and other necessary evils
Reams have been written on the phenomenon of social networking, but despite that, the jury is still out on this lifestyle incursion that has changed the way we behave. Every morning (of course I check my phone as soon as I’ve rubbed the sleep from my eyes!) I see a new notification from Facebook; I have a memory with x, y or z to look back on today. I wake each day to find out that seven years ago on this day, I ate pork sliders at Fatty Crab in New York with my daughter, or four years ago today, my dog ate my copy of Shantaram. Scintillating stuff! I never fail to cringe- did I really post that inane stuff on Facebook? Why did I imagine anyone might be interested in what I, or my dog, ate for lunch? But hey, I continue to do it, and someday in the distant future, I’ll probably wake up to be told that four years ago on this day, I cooked an awesome berry pulau.
The debate rages on between the indomitable facebookers and the diehard abstainers; issues of privacy form the bulk of these arguments. “For crying out loud, why would you want the whole world to know what’s going on in your life?” is the commonest one, to which the reply will invariably be, “What’s the big deal?!” The thing is, I don’t believe privacy is that easy nowadays, whether you post selfies and status updates every hour on the hour or not. Your browser stores far more personal information about you than the most prolific Facebook posts do…. and I find it more alarming that someone is tracking my every move on the internet, than letting people know that I liked the soundtrack of Bombay Velvet via Twitter.
So that establishes that; I’m obviously a fan of the social media-Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, you name it and I’m there. How else would I get a recipe for that special Maharashtrian mutton curry from a friend whom I haven’t met in 30 years, but see on FB every day? Or know that a pluviophile is someone who loves the rain (not in a million years would I think of Googling that one on the internet, and I’m universally known as the Google queen!)
For those who eschew the concept, let me assure you that Facebook and Instagram are great ways to study people and what makes them tick…. much as people like to put their prettiest and wittiest foot forward, you get to know them through the kind of content they post. For a writer, it provides plenty of fodder for thought! So here’s a list of some of the categories you’ll encounter on FB….
To start with, there’s the Political Commentator/Social Activist. This one will post a comment every day, sometimes twice and thrice a day, taking off on the morning’s political headlines. His/her views on the ineptness of government, the latest controversial statue or land allotment deal, or the current media debate on Rahul Gandhi’s latest gem. This will be followed by scores of comments through the rest of the day, from everyone who has an opinion on the subject, often leading to comical ideological altercations between the more hot-headed participants. It’s a great way to get your daily dose of news, fully dissected and debated, before you’ve read it in the papers. Especially when someone famous dies- there’s a mad scramble to see who can post the obligatory R.I.P first!
Then there’s the Sharer, who will disseminate information from across the World Wide Web, on health issues, beautiful places, jokes, videos, memes and trivia, carefully avoiding all things personal which could affect their sacred privacy. This type prefers to watch from the side-lines, without getting personally involved.
The Sports Super-fan lives for either cricket or football (maybe seasonally tennis) and often migrates from one sport to the other seamlessly. Normally a he, this category maintains a passionate, unswerving loyalty to his team/ club/ player. Armed with weighty statistics and a picture perfect memory of every game ever played, he is ready to applaud or defend his idol in accordance with the immediate requirement.
The Serial Liker: what can I say, I've been accused of being one, much too often for my liking. (No pun intended). Serial Likers.... well, they like. And they like, and they like. It's as easy as that! They like everything from babies and puppies to wisecracks and Aunty Acid, basically anything that appears remotely likeable. Trust me, it's a vacuously happy space to be in!
Next comes the Spiritualist/Life Coach, who painstakingly lends a modicum of virtuousness to an otherwise frivolous space. This comes in the form of quotes from the masters, philosophical tips on how to live life and enlightening, thought provoking lines from Khalil Gibran and Paul Coelho superimposed on suitably soothing pictures of mountains and rivers. Never religious or discriminatory, these ‘feel good’ observations promote thirty second contemplation, and provide instant nirvana for those inclined to receive it.
The Branded Diva is a prolific selfie enthusiast, can be depended upon to guide you through all things fashionable. Donning every designer outfit worth her spiky Louboutin’s, she hashtags her way to celebrity status and garners likes by the hundreds. Every designer gown, bag and pair of shoes is lovingly chronicled, and each selfie more glossy than the next. Pure eye candy, and very educational!My personal favourite is the Joker: his/her daily witticisms and endearingly humorous views on life beam a little sunshine onto the dullest of days. Sceptics may curl a contemptuous lip and say, “Do I care if X thinks that boxing is a beastly sport, or that Y doesn’t like judgmental people?” My reply is, you don’t have to care, but you can enjoy an amusing or a poignant moment someone has shared… what is the big deal?
If the world was an oyster a few years ago, it’s now a pistachio shell. Via all this social activity, you know your absconding neighbour is on holiday in Costa Rica, your best friend’s ex is dating again, someone’s selling organic cherries in Mumbai and an old friend has become a grandmother for the third time. It’s so much more relevant than reading the papers every morning!
One hears a lot on how creating the perfect illusion of your glitziest self on social networking is a sham, that it’s detrimental to our mental health and that we’re forgetting how to socialize in person. I think the key is to remember not to take it so seriously… it’s just another phenomenon that has entered our lives along with smartphones, Google glasses and GPS. Part of our lives, and here to stay. That is, before something new takes over.
The debate rages on between the indomitable facebookers and the diehard abstainers; issues of privacy form the bulk of these arguments. “For crying out loud, why would you want the whole world to know what’s going on in your life?” is the commonest one, to which the reply will invariably be, “What’s the big deal?!” The thing is, I don’t believe privacy is that easy nowadays, whether you post selfies and status updates every hour on the hour or not. Your browser stores far more personal information about you than the most prolific Facebook posts do…. and I find it more alarming that someone is tracking my every move on the internet, than letting people know that I liked the soundtrack of Bombay Velvet via Twitter.
So that establishes that; I’m obviously a fan of the social media-Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, you name it and I’m there. How else would I get a recipe for that special Maharashtrian mutton curry from a friend whom I haven’t met in 30 years, but see on FB every day? Or know that a pluviophile is someone who loves the rain (not in a million years would I think of Googling that one on the internet, and I’m universally known as the Google queen!)
For those who eschew the concept, let me assure you that Facebook and Instagram are great ways to study people and what makes them tick…. much as people like to put their prettiest and wittiest foot forward, you get to know them through the kind of content they post. For a writer, it provides plenty of fodder for thought! So here’s a list of some of the categories you’ll encounter on FB….
To start with, there’s the Political Commentator/Social Activist. This one will post a comment every day, sometimes twice and thrice a day, taking off on the morning’s political headlines. His/her views on the ineptness of government, the latest controversial statue or land allotment deal, or the current media debate on Rahul Gandhi’s latest gem. This will be followed by scores of comments through the rest of the day, from everyone who has an opinion on the subject, often leading to comical ideological altercations between the more hot-headed participants. It’s a great way to get your daily dose of news, fully dissected and debated, before you’ve read it in the papers. Especially when someone famous dies- there’s a mad scramble to see who can post the obligatory R.I.P first!
Then there’s the Sharer, who will disseminate information from across the World Wide Web, on health issues, beautiful places, jokes, videos, memes and trivia, carefully avoiding all things personal which could affect their sacred privacy. This type prefers to watch from the side-lines, without getting personally involved.
The Sports Super-fan lives for either cricket or football (maybe seasonally tennis) and often migrates from one sport to the other seamlessly. Normally a he, this category maintains a passionate, unswerving loyalty to his team/ club/ player. Armed with weighty statistics and a picture perfect memory of every game ever played, he is ready to applaud or defend his idol in accordance with the immediate requirement.
The Serial Liker: what can I say, I've been accused of being one, much too often for my liking. (No pun intended). Serial Likers.... well, they like. And they like, and they like. It's as easy as that! They like everything from babies and puppies to wisecracks and Aunty Acid, basically anything that appears remotely likeable. Trust me, it's a vacuously happy space to be in!
Next comes the Spiritualist/Life Coach, who painstakingly lends a modicum of virtuousness to an otherwise frivolous space. This comes in the form of quotes from the masters, philosophical tips on how to live life and enlightening, thought provoking lines from Khalil Gibran and Paul Coelho superimposed on suitably soothing pictures of mountains and rivers. Never religious or discriminatory, these ‘feel good’ observations promote thirty second contemplation, and provide instant nirvana for those inclined to receive it.
The Branded Diva is a prolific selfie enthusiast, can be depended upon to guide you through all things fashionable. Donning every designer outfit worth her spiky Louboutin’s, she hashtags her way to celebrity status and garners likes by the hundreds. Every designer gown, bag and pair of shoes is lovingly chronicled, and each selfie more glossy than the next. Pure eye candy, and very educational!My personal favourite is the Joker: his/her daily witticisms and endearingly humorous views on life beam a little sunshine onto the dullest of days. Sceptics may curl a contemptuous lip and say, “Do I care if X thinks that boxing is a beastly sport, or that Y doesn’t like judgmental people?” My reply is, you don’t have to care, but you can enjoy an amusing or a poignant moment someone has shared… what is the big deal?
If the world was an oyster a few years ago, it’s now a pistachio shell. Via all this social activity, you know your absconding neighbour is on holiday in Costa Rica, your best friend’s ex is dating again, someone’s selling organic cherries in Mumbai and an old friend has become a grandmother for the third time. It’s so much more relevant than reading the papers every morning!
One hears a lot on how creating the perfect illusion of your glitziest self on social networking is a sham, that it’s detrimental to our mental health and that we’re forgetting how to socialize in person. I think the key is to remember not to take it so seriously… it’s just another phenomenon that has entered our lives along with smartphones, Google glasses and GPS. Part of our lives, and here to stay. That is, before something new takes over.
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