It was the year 2007 and there was this new and awesome social network called Facebook. Every one who was someone was signing up and joining the network. Checking Facebook feed soon became the first thing to do upon waking up, every morning.
It was pretty fantastic in a lot of ways. You could connect with your friends and family from around the world. Long lost friends were found and memories relived. Everyone was sharing their vacation and daily pics on Facebook and good wishes poured started pouring in on birthdays and anniversaries! Wow! Seems too good isn't it?
Fast forward to 2018. The novelty has long worn off and the actual reality has sunk in. Even though we might have 1000+ 'friends' on FB, how many of them do you truly know or would wake up at 2am for you? Are you really content on being wished by every FB friend of yours, just because they were reminded that its your birthday, by FB? Or would you rather choose to being wished by those who actually remembered on their own and took the time to personally call or message you?
Let's not even get into wedding anniversaries! I've personally seen couples wish each other more romantically and enthusiastically on FB and just emote a perfunctory 'Happy Anniversary' to each other in person! Their anniversary FB post is full of their best picture as a couple, professing their eternal love for the other and how lucky they are to have their partner. Duh! Did they actually say this to their partner in person? I bet you 99 out of 100 couples do not.
Have you also noticed a trend across the millions of friend FB feeds? They are all always so positive and happy! It seems that life has been really good to them and nothing ever happens in life which got them feeling low or down. FB is filled with only our best snaps, posts and status updates of how happy everyone is. No one talks about sadness or posts when they are down and need an actual friend.
If we were to judge from FB feeds, the world is one happy place where no one gets sad and all the psychologists, therapists and life counselors are pretty much jobless! Is that reality?
Social networks, including FB are creating an illusionary, unrealistic and hyped up world, where everyone is happy, things always go as per planned and everything is perfect. Its driving the need for individuals to constantly feed wanted and 'liked', to be perfect in every way and to live a life online. Instead of connecting people it seems to be alienating them. Social skills are diminishing and we are more comfortable holding an online chat rather than a meaningful face to face conversation.
Seems pretty artificial doesn't it?
I'd rather have one or two real friends over for coffee, sharing good stories and wholesome laughs than live in the world of Facebook and social networks.
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