The new social norm
When I was growing up in the 80's-90's friendship meant so much. Our lives revolved around our social circle. There was great excitement in making new friends. We even made pen pals through letter chains from far away cities. When emails, social media was a far-fetched thought, we managed to keep in touch with near and far ones through letters. The blue color folded inland letter carried every emotion from love, heartbreaks, marriage proposals to casual chitchats. Technology has revolutionized the way we communicate with each other. I'm not sure if it is good or bad.
Facebook, more than a decade ago, was the go-to social media from teens to seniors alike. Now we have Instagram, Snapchat, and whatnot. The kids unable to tolerate the postings of their parents quickly moved out of FB and found their hub on Instagram, Snapchat. FB branded its platform in terminologies like "like," "friends." In the FB world, the word "Friend" got a new meaning. He/She may be a person whom you have never met or set eyes on, like your sister-in-law's friend's son's ex-girlfriend! For many FB friend's lists grew in 100's to 1000's enough to make them believe that they can challenge Rajini in popularity. Moms and dads got carried away with the thought of sharing their glories with their so-called FB friends. Friendship also got a new measure in the FB world .... the number of likes! People found instant gratification in sharing their mundane moments that got the much-expected reaction in the number of likes. The privacy factor was quickly tossed into the trash bin. There is no limit to what people could post on FB.
Another breakthrough a few years back was WhatsApp. It was a dream come true to carry those international chitchats initially through text, then came audio and video calls that too all for free! Groups cropped up in WA from mommy's to alumni to professional groups. The life span varied from a few days to a few years. The shortest one I was ever on lasted 5 days. Group dynamics change too, the admin who is the creator of the group might vanish into thin air, and the most active member might be the one who no one knows in real life. Members can be categorized as the incessant chatters, the attention mongers, the smart heads, the life-givers, the trouble makers, etc. Some people in WA are forever asleep, while a few are always in a meeting, while some roam around with dying cellphone battery all the time! Some manage to be silent spectators but still will not let go of the membership status. Some get their adrenaline rush by actively sharing their lives moments while others post controversial topics and get in trouble. Chat groups are supposed to mimic living room chitchats, but except that the person sitting next to you on your living room couch will most likely respond to you, but in WA chat rooms, there are no courtesy, decorum or even rules. People choose to ignore when they want to or actively choose to respond when it is convenient. The purpose/agenda of the group changes too, one group which was started for travel ended up being a political battleground with candidates running for election from a professional organization on each other' s throat to win the election.
We all live in a different era now, and it is required to embrace these societal changes. It keeps the community together on the surface, whether it strengthens the bonds is a million-dollar question. The happiness that a simple handwritten postcard brought is still missing in the technologically advanced instant messages delivered by our fancy gadgets.
When I was growing up in the 80's-90's friendship meant so much. Our lives revolved around our social circle. There was great excitement in making new friends. We even made pen pals through letter chains from far away cities. When emails, social media was a far-fetched thought, we managed to keep in touch with near and far ones through letters. The blue color folded inland letter carried every emotion from love, heartbreaks, marriage proposals to casual chitchats. Technology has revolutionized the way we communicate with each other. I'm not sure if it is good or bad.
Facebook, more than a decade ago, was the go-to social media from teens to seniors alike. Now we have Instagram, Snapchat, and whatnot. The kids unable to tolerate the postings of their parents quickly moved out of FB and found their hub on Instagram, Snapchat. FB branded its platform in terminologies like "like," "friends." In the FB world, the word "Friend" got a new meaning. He/She may be a person whom you have never met or set eyes on, like your sister-in-law's friend's son's ex-girlfriend! For many FB friend's lists grew in 100's to 1000's enough to make them believe that they can challenge Rajini in popularity. Moms and dads got carried away with the thought of sharing their glories with their so-called FB friends. Friendship also got a new measure in the FB world .... the number of likes! People found instant gratification in sharing their mundane moments that got the much-expected reaction in the number of likes. The privacy factor was quickly tossed into the trash bin. There is no limit to what people could post on FB.
Another breakthrough a few years back was WhatsApp. It was a dream come true to carry those international chitchats initially through text, then came audio and video calls that too all for free! Groups cropped up in WA from mommy's to alumni to professional groups. The life span varied from a few days to a few years. The shortest one I was ever on lasted 5 days. Group dynamics change too, the admin who is the creator of the group might vanish into thin air, and the most active member might be the one who no one knows in real life. Members can be categorized as the incessant chatters, the attention mongers, the smart heads, the life-givers, the trouble makers, etc. Some people in WA are forever asleep, while a few are always in a meeting, while some roam around with dying cellphone battery all the time! Some manage to be silent spectators but still will not let go of the membership status. Some get their adrenaline rush by actively sharing their lives moments while others post controversial topics and get in trouble. Chat groups are supposed to mimic living room chitchats, but except that the person sitting next to you on your living room couch will most likely respond to you, but in WA chat rooms, there are no courtesy, decorum or even rules. People choose to ignore when they want to or actively choose to respond when it is convenient. The purpose/agenda of the group changes too, one group which was started for travel ended up being a political battleground with candidates running for election from a professional organization on each other' s throat to win the election.
We all live in a different era now, and it is required to embrace these societal changes. It keeps the community together on the surface, whether it strengthens the bonds is a million-dollar question. The happiness that a simple handwritten postcard brought is still missing in the technologically advanced instant messages delivered by our fancy gadgets.
We have too many options to communicate frequently which is taking a toll on our livelihood. As each one of us are knowingly or unknowingly fall prey to an activity distracting our normal day to day life, giving us new hope with increased anxiety and wants. In the reflection post, Dr Aparna has depicted nicely such change that has brought from those days to the present contemporary which remained an enigma, to unfold the real touch and happiness of the past communication tool which had a real substance and bondage.
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