A window pops up with a message.. "Hey man! Wassup? Wru? Hru? :)"!! None other than from one of my college mates in same town!!! Orkut scrapbook reads "Hi da.. Long time no see!!" from a friend staying 2 streets away. Phone dances for an incoming SMS, "am busy for next 3 weekends.. catch ya in march".
When did you last meet your dearest friend? How much time you spent with him in your last meeting? What all did you do and enjoy during your last meeting? I hope you've started recollecting the past like Saif in KHNH with a big "Aaaaaaaaaanh..." :D Where is the world heading towards btw? What is the purpose of social networking??
Few months back when I was coming from Mayavaram to Bangalore in train. And the train stopped at Kumbakonam. With so much eagerness to see Kumbakonam maami's, I peeped my head outside. (Sadly there were none.) There was a stone beach on which some 4 guys were sitting. Each one was doing there own job, one reading bakya, another with mp3 player, the third one looking at train and the fourth one was looking at the sky!! Just that they were together spending their wasted evening in the railway station!! It's hard to see such groups today!!
Mokkaraasu a.k.a Hrithik with a profile photo of Salman with 6 pack abs sending a scrap to the girl next door Muthazhagu a.k.a Aishwarya with a profile picture of Asin reading, "Hi.. I ve seen u!! Ur gorgeous!! U smile d best!! Can v b frnzzzzz???", is the current trend!!! Chats and instant messengers are signed in 24 X 7!! The offline messages are an added addi(c)tion!! Social networking sites are growing up to an extent that I get a request from is-there-any-site-with-this-name kinda networks daily!! With some domain space you can start your own closed group networking site if you know some basic programming.
There were days when people used to call and inform some good news happening in their life!! Those voice in the calls conveyed their effervescent joy to their loved ones!! Nowadays the same news is spread more widely like a wildfire as status messages and status updates in Orkut and Facebook. Message reaches you even if you dont need it and there is a wide spread audience for the message! But.. One liners like.. "Got an admit!", "Committed.. to work :(", "New job.. new place.. new ppl", "marriage on 24th.. all r welcum :)"... do they bring in joy??? What's the difference between some blast happening in Bangalore published as headlines of a daily and such closed group joy displayed as popup ballons in Home page of networking sites??? [ Well.. there is one.. you can click on 'Hide' to mute the updates from friends but you cant do that with a daily!! :P Thanks to AJAX and DHTML!!! LOL! ]
Chats were initially started to help people to get in touch with others staying very far from them!! The advent of voice calls and video conferencing brought people at far off distances closer!! But.. they've become an essential part of life to the extent that if I turn back and say something in office, people ask me to come in Skype!!! :( I'm getting scared on whether I would lose my speech some day after staying dumb for 20 hrs a day!!! I couldn't hear people speak. I just hear people punching keys in my workplace!!
SMS was basically to leave a note to people while in a hurry or when you cant attend calls!! Thanks to Aircel for starting the free SMS campaign. With TRAI peeping in, and after alteration of plans and charges, SMS has become an important factor in day-to-day life!! Few providers charge some Rs. 50 for a SMS pack which allows you to send 5500 SMS per day!! The result.. ppl have started avoiding calls and SMS is flooding in vast numbers. For a certain few, mobile phone has become the 11th finger in their hand with they texting with it always.. right from what they eat to where they are sitting to their peers!!! Even this can be a bit acceptable. Few TV channels took this opportunity to increase their TRP rating by asking the viewers to send SMS to their loved ones via TV. It leaves me in a fix to see messages like.. "Dei purusa.. I love u da!!", "Chella kutti.. good morning", "Thala song dedicated to Madurai maththaapoo guys", "I luv u da.. meet u at park at 6 :D", "Sorry pondaatti.. thitta maattaen.. veetukku vaa.. life is hell without u!!". Where is the element of privacy in these things?? A day may come when parents might get to know about their son's love affair from such messages in TV!!
"It's long since we met.. You've become a little fat!!" - this is not from a conversation between two when they meet in person. This is a comment for a recent photograph in Facebook!! People get to know aging changes though photos in the albums!! Changing profile photo is a fashion these days!! Orkut intially had a passport size photo of each one with people trying to give a small smile near the corner of their lips. Nowadays people have portfolio snaps of their muscle man and dreamgirls of film industry!!!
I dont say I hate these kinds of technological improvements trying to bond people together!! I am a fan of chats and am almost chat-a-holic!! I just question, do they bond people really??? People prefer to meet in chat rooms than in a park or beach or malls!! Does it increase the bonding or do they internally creep in solitude?? Where is the element of meeting people and spending time these days?? Chats and scraps can be a medium of communication!! But when someone is complained for not calling or meeting out, the spontaneous response one gets is.. "We were chatting last nite rite?? Last week we were scrapping each other for 2 hrs rite?? Then wat??". Is this what social networking is meant for?? I just feel, during my son's days.. he would be working from home.. with his wife in another house.. and they both conversing over Skype calls with Orkut / Facebook giving them daily updates of what they both are doing to each other!!!!
When did you last meet your dearest friend? How much time you spent with him in your last meeting? What all did you do and enjoy during your last meeting? I hope you've started recollecting the past like Saif in KHNH with a big "Aaaaaaaaaanh..." :D Where is the world heading towards btw? What is the purpose of social networking??
Few months back when I was coming from Mayavaram to Bangalore in train. And the train stopped at Kumbakonam. With so much eagerness to see Kumbakonam maami's, I peeped my head outside. (Sadly there were none.) There was a stone beach on which some 4 guys were sitting. Each one was doing there own job, one reading bakya, another with mp3 player, the third one looking at train and the fourth one was looking at the sky!! Just that they were together spending their wasted evening in the railway station!! It's hard to see such groups today!!
Mokkaraasu a.k.a Hrithik with a profile photo of Salman with 6 pack abs sending a scrap to the girl next door Muthazhagu a.k.a Aishwarya with a profile picture of Asin reading, "Hi.. I ve seen u!! Ur gorgeous!! U smile d best!! Can v b frnzzzzz???", is the current trend!!! Chats and instant messengers are signed in 24 X 7!! The offline messages are an added addi(c)tion!! Social networking sites are growing up to an extent that I get a request from is-there-any-site-with-this-name kinda networks daily!! With some domain space you can start your own closed group networking site if you know some basic programming.
There were days when people used to call and inform some good news happening in their life!! Those voice in the calls conveyed their effervescent joy to their loved ones!! Nowadays the same news is spread more widely like a wildfire as status messages and status updates in Orkut and Facebook. Message reaches you even if you dont need it and there is a wide spread audience for the message! But.. One liners like.. "Got an admit!", "Committed.. to work :(", "New job.. new place.. new ppl", "marriage on 24th.. all r welcum :)"... do they bring in joy??? What's the difference between some blast happening in Bangalore published as headlines of a daily and such closed group joy displayed as popup ballons in Home page of networking sites??? [ Well.. there is one.. you can click on 'Hide' to mute the updates from friends but you cant do that with a daily!! :P Thanks to AJAX and DHTML!!! LOL! ]
Chats were initially started to help people to get in touch with others staying very far from them!! The advent of voice calls and video conferencing brought people at far off distances closer!! But.. they've become an essential part of life to the extent that if I turn back and say something in office, people ask me to come in Skype!!! :( I'm getting scared on whether I would lose my speech some day after staying dumb for 20 hrs a day!!! I couldn't hear people speak. I just hear people punching keys in my workplace!!
SMS was basically to leave a note to people while in a hurry or when you cant attend calls!! Thanks to Aircel for starting the free SMS campaign. With TRAI peeping in, and after alteration of plans and charges, SMS has become an important factor in day-to-day life!! Few providers charge some Rs. 50 for a SMS pack which allows you to send 5500 SMS per day!! The result.. ppl have started avoiding calls and SMS is flooding in vast numbers. For a certain few, mobile phone has become the 11th finger in their hand with they texting with it always.. right from what they eat to where they are sitting to their peers!!! Even this can be a bit acceptable. Few TV channels took this opportunity to increase their TRP rating by asking the viewers to send SMS to their loved ones via TV. It leaves me in a fix to see messages like.. "Dei purusa.. I love u da!!", "Chella kutti.. good morning", "Thala song dedicated to Madurai maththaapoo guys", "I luv u da.. meet u at park at 6 :D", "Sorry pondaatti.. thitta maattaen.. veetukku vaa.. life is hell without u!!". Where is the element of privacy in these things?? A day may come when parents might get to know about their son's love affair from such messages in TV!!
"It's long since we met.. You've become a little fat!!" - this is not from a conversation between two when they meet in person. This is a comment for a recent photograph in Facebook!! People get to know aging changes though photos in the albums!! Changing profile photo is a fashion these days!! Orkut intially had a passport size photo of each one with people trying to give a small smile near the corner of their lips. Nowadays people have portfolio snaps of their muscle man and dreamgirls of film industry!!!
Few years back, when I used to go to tutions, after those classes got over, we used to gather at the street ends and would chit chat for 5-10 minutes ( until we spot some police constable in rounds in that area :D ) and then leave back home. During my last visit to home, I happened the visit the same street. I was shocked to see the street abandoned as I know the master takes classes even today. The students, after the classes got over, rushed back home, not for studying the lessons, but to catch their school and tution mates in Y! Messenger and GTalk!! I couldn't understand this!! :D
I dont say I hate these kinds of technological improvements trying to bond people together!! I am a fan of chats and am almost chat-a-holic!! I just question, do they bond people really??? People prefer to meet in chat rooms than in a park or beach or malls!! Does it increase the bonding or do they internally creep in solitude?? Where is the element of meeting people and spending time these days?? Chats and scraps can be a medium of communication!! But when someone is complained for not calling or meeting out, the spontaneous response one gets is.. "We were chatting last nite rite?? Last week we were scrapping each other for 2 hrs rite?? Then wat??". Is this what social networking is meant for?? I just feel, during my son's days.. he would be working from home.. with his wife in another house.. and they both conversing over Skype calls with Orkut / Facebook giving them daily updates of what they both are doing to each other!!!!
