Every morning my first task is to raise the screen of the laptop, as it is always on, and check updates on Facebook and Orkut. This has been the case for the past 8 months or so. Scrolling up and down through posts by various people (friends), some of whom I had last met or spoken to ages ago. The first time I logged into Facebook I was thrilled to find people I new since childhood. Many of them since 1st Grade. It was a mad rush to find more and more people through networks and adding them as friends. School, college, workplace, it went on and on till I had roughly over 200 hundred friends. Then the occasional hello, birthday wishes (these sites neatly display the current and upcoming birthdays of friends), poking began. Added to this were the games that Facebook had to offer. They can keep you engaged for hours. Upload photos. I can still see one or the other from my friends list update some photo or the other till today. As time progressed I realized that the real need to actually post something came up when it was my birthday. I had to spend few hours for 'thank you's' on that particular day. But besides that it just became a routine to scroll up and down through stuff that people, who I don't even talk to or probable don't meet or may not even meet in the near future, post. Also, I had no answer to a particular question. Why was I going through the posts on Facebook or Orkut? Someone I know wants to say something to one of his network friends. Why do I need to know what they are talking. How does it add value to me? Is it not eating through my time? I feel I'm just letting an outsider invade my life by taking up my time.
Whenever I start reading a book I end up going back to the system to check for updates. Is this distraction worth it. Before I leave my house for some work, after I come back from work, before sleeping I sit and stare at the monitor. For what? The web has other useful applications. It can be used for studying. Even then the mouse invariably clicks on the distractions very frequently.
If someone really needs him/her as a part of his/her network all they have to do is pick up the damn phone and call. Or maybe drop into their home over the weekend. What are we heading for? The best excuse I find to not do this is 'TIME'. People find it easier to ping from home. If you really care about a person time wouldn't matter. Relationships are built on feelings and emotions that cannot be converted to 1's and 0's. I understand the need to stay in touch when people are spread across geographic locations. Still a personal mail would mean much more than the cacophony on a public social site. Anyway calling cards are pretty cheap these days and STD rates have been on the decline for the past few years.
Relations should be in one's heart and not end up as thumbnails on a networking site. Time well spent is more fruitful. There are a lot of things to achieve in life instead of wasting time going through someone else's talk or discussion. If you really care, reach out in person. I believe it is time I sold my Ferrari.
