Just yesterday I happened to log into my facebook account after a long time and was surprised to see that the world was still where I had left it...some busy updating their status...some uploading pics..some taking the hilarious quizzes that facebook is know for. It was somehow comforting to know that the people I was familiar with were still around and had not just vanished into their cozy office cubicles like me. I don't think I understood most of the communication that was happening between different groups of friends in my list but it was comforting to just read their chat and feel the spirit of the friendly banter of which even I was a part not long ago.
While browsing through various updates, I happened to see newly uploaded pics of one of my ol school frens. She had got married just the year before and was happily settled in her new role as a wife and as a daughter-in-law. It was difficult for me to picture myself dawning that role someday in my life...I mean somehow it seemed a task with too much responsibility for which I wouldn't be ready ever :P .I had been invited to her wedding but thanks to my pre-job training that I couldn't be a part of her big day. While browsing through her pics I happened to see one of the pics which was taken in Pune that too a month back. I don't know why but that slight bit of information hurt me. Do people change so much after marriage? Aren't we the same friends who used to be excited about meeting each other in school every morning?
Maybe years of growing up takes its toll on us and instead of cherishing our old school buddies we start seeing them as strangers who no longer have anything common with our lives. I don't know about the guys but for gals marriage means an entire renovation of the life they had led uptil then. I don't know the reason why my friend didn't contact me even once and I don't know if I would have been delighted to meet her or not. But as of now I feel a sense of pain deep down to acknowledge the fact that facebook and orkut may have definitely flooded my freind list with familiar faces and names but they are no longer the same people that I knew.
Everyday social networking is growing as a business. It is the new age mantra to excel but what part of this "social networking" is really "social"(please look up the word in dictionary for exact meaning)? I wonder why do I have 300 to 400 odd people in my friend list when I hardly converse with any of them. The ones I converse with are either amongst my "current" friend circle whom I meet regularly these days or are amongst the closest oldest eternal buddies that I have know for like a ...lifetime! It may then seem appropriate if I remove the other people in my list who, it may seem, are just creating a kind of traffic congestion on my "social network". This would then imply that I only stay connected with my closest buddies and no one else. However, it would be like travelling in an aeroplane which sure enough takes you from place A to B in shortest period of time. But then doesn't gurantee the same adventuresome trip that you might have on a train which stops at every possible station and you could get down and have a walk down an XYZ city's platform which perhaps you may never have a chance to visit otherwise!
Well just imagine a scenario of about 5-6 years back when people hardly talked of sites like orkut or facebook. In those days having a chat id was the latest and coolest way to stay in touch. But then how many people did you have max in ur chat list...30-40 ok max 100...but then having someone on ur chat list meant you had or would have something to chat with them. Orkut and facebook has reduced this compulsion in a smarter and must say friendlier way by allowing us to stay connected with more people without the actual need of talking to each one of them individually. Thanks to the new entrant in this sector- "TWITTER" which has further simplified the whole communication process. All I need to do is tweet of what I am upto and others are saved from asking similar sounding questions like "wassup" or "howdy" !
Though must say that I m a big fan of technology myself but then at times I wonder where technology has brought us today. Are we embracing social networking which limits our feelings to mere tweets? Is technology providing us a cutting-edge in maintaining long lasting relationships or merely increasing the count of my friend list everyday? I don't know friends if Orkut and Facebook is a boon or curse but then to all my friends all I can say is that "kamino sirf friend reqst bhejne se dost nahi bante ...galti se hi hello bhi kar liya karo " :P :P :D
