On my way to work today, I met my neighbour who stays on the floor below, and I was shocked to realize that I did not know her name! In the three months I have been living in the building (that has only 5 tenants apart from the owner’s family who stays on the ground floor), I have met her only thrice. Nothing out of the ordinary in a busy city life, you might say; considering that we all work to different timings and are hardly around at home during weekends…
My friend says she does not bother making small talk when she is around people she is not comfortable with (read a family or social setting); instead chooses to browse the internet on her i-phone. In fact, the phone has now become an instrument that helps you to pretend that you are busy as much as, or more than, something that actually keeps you busy!!
Last time I visited my uncle, my college – going cousin (who is in her early twenties) proudly displayed to me her huge network of friends on Facebook and Orkut, and tells me that she was (apparently) voted the ‘Nicest kid on the block’ in her network of 500 – odd people. She diligently keeps track of all important milestones in each of her ‘friends’’ lives (all of which are, obviously, recorded in her calendar!!) and makes sure she sends completely non – customized, ready –to – sent, ‘meaningful’ messages to all of them. Along with amazing ‘virtual’ gifts like teddy bears, and sometimes even fresh fruits, vegetables and live poultry (??!!!) from her ‘virtual’ farm. She, of course, draws a complete blank when I asked her the name of the domestic help who cleans her room every day, and cooks her meals. Clearly, the birthday of your long – lost school friend’s cousin’s brother - in - law’s second kid is more valuable information…
I go to her brother’s room - a 14- year kid who is now bespectacled, no doubt due to his constant exposure to whatever harmful rays that came out of computers these days; and see him engaged in a multi-user online game with (I can only imagine) a group of like-minded kids from various ‘virtual’ locations. He assures me that Crazy Nuclear Annihilation III helps you improve your mental and physical (of the fingers, I assume) faculties and helps improve your concentration. Whoever needs fresh air and exercise!!!
Now, before you conclude me to be a cynic, let me make this clear..I am not against technology that brings people together. I am only against technology that pretends to bring people together. I use Facebook and orkut for a considerable amount of time each day, looking through the latest updates for new happenings in my friends’ lives, so I can keep track of people who are important to me..oh…well, who am I kidding? Most of these ‘friends’ would not even know if I am dead, or scarier still, might not even care!! More often than not, I waste time online so I will be saved from the more unpleasant tasks of lifting the phone and speaking to one of those real friends who actually care for you, and who do not merely ‘follow’ you on Twitter..Worse still, I am wasting precious time that I could otherwise spend on connecting with the larger world around me who I can see, feel, touch and interact everyday: the next – door neighbour, the extended family, the colleagues in the cubicle nearby, or even the domestic help. They might not actually be friends, but they probably would save you from turning into a virtual machine..
I am lucky to be part of a generation that knew a far less complicated world without cell phones and i – touch..without Twitter and Orkut..all those trappings of the modern world that traps you to your home, while making you believe that the whole world out there is literally hanging on to your next Status Update…
Back then, life meant unlimited space and time to go out and enjoy the wonderfully pleasant green grass and blue sky..playing games, cycling, visiting and hanging out at friends’ and cousins’ places..I wrote letters – actual physical letters to aunts and uncles who lived out of town and in complete sentences, not SMS syntaxes..made holiday cards myself..The phone ringing was hardly an irritation – it was always a race to the phone to see who would be calling (that was before the days of answering machines and caller IDs, you see)..And we always, always knew who lived next – door…
And although, i did not have 500 – odd friends in my network, the 5 I had were real friends.. Life, indeed, was far less complicated..
So today, I have promised myself not to give in to the trappings of technology..to use it rather than to be used by it..So today, when I get home, I will make sure to knock on my neighbour’s door and talk to her..and later, I will call a friend who would be happy that I thought of him..
While on the topic, I should probably also tell my cousin to get outdoors and play real games for a change. Now, that might not really be a great idea…
My friend says she does not bother making small talk when she is around people she is not comfortable with (read a family or social setting); instead chooses to browse the internet on her i-phone. In fact, the phone has now become an instrument that helps you to pretend that you are busy as much as, or more than, something that actually keeps you busy!!
Last time I visited my uncle, my college – going cousin (who is in her early twenties) proudly displayed to me her huge network of friends on Facebook and Orkut, and tells me that she was (apparently) voted the ‘Nicest kid on the block’ in her network of 500 – odd people. She diligently keeps track of all important milestones in each of her ‘friends’’ lives (all of which are, obviously, recorded in her calendar!!) and makes sure she sends completely non – customized, ready –to – sent, ‘meaningful’ messages to all of them. Along with amazing ‘virtual’ gifts like teddy bears, and sometimes even fresh fruits, vegetables and live poultry (??!!!) from her ‘virtual’ farm. She, of course, draws a complete blank when I asked her the name of the domestic help who cleans her room every day, and cooks her meals. Clearly, the birthday of your long – lost school friend’s cousin’s brother - in - law’s second kid is more valuable information…
I go to her brother’s room - a 14- year kid who is now bespectacled, no doubt due to his constant exposure to whatever harmful rays that came out of computers these days; and see him engaged in a multi-user online game with (I can only imagine) a group of like-minded kids from various ‘virtual’ locations. He assures me that Crazy Nuclear Annihilation III helps you improve your mental and physical (of the fingers, I assume) faculties and helps improve your concentration. Whoever needs fresh air and exercise!!!
Now, before you conclude me to be a cynic, let me make this clear..I am not against technology that brings people together. I am only against technology that pretends to bring people together. I use Facebook and orkut for a considerable amount of time each day, looking through the latest updates for new happenings in my friends’ lives, so I can keep track of people who are important to me..oh…well, who am I kidding? Most of these ‘friends’ would not even know if I am dead, or scarier still, might not even care!! More often than not, I waste time online so I will be saved from the more unpleasant tasks of lifting the phone and speaking to one of those real friends who actually care for you, and who do not merely ‘follow’ you on Twitter..Worse still, I am wasting precious time that I could otherwise spend on connecting with the larger world around me who I can see, feel, touch and interact everyday: the next – door neighbour, the extended family, the colleagues in the cubicle nearby, or even the domestic help. They might not actually be friends, but they probably would save you from turning into a virtual machine..
I am lucky to be part of a generation that knew a far less complicated world without cell phones and i – touch..without Twitter and Orkut..all those trappings of the modern world that traps you to your home, while making you believe that the whole world out there is literally hanging on to your next Status Update…
Back then, life meant unlimited space and time to go out and enjoy the wonderfully pleasant green grass and blue sky..playing games, cycling, visiting and hanging out at friends’ and cousins’ places..I wrote letters – actual physical letters to aunts and uncles who lived out of town and in complete sentences, not SMS syntaxes..made holiday cards myself..The phone ringing was hardly an irritation – it was always a race to the phone to see who would be calling (that was before the days of answering machines and caller IDs, you see)..And we always, always knew who lived next – door…
And although, i did not have 500 – odd friends in my network, the 5 I had were real friends.. Life, indeed, was far less complicated..
So today, I have promised myself not to give in to the trappings of technology..to use it rather than to be used by it..So today, when I get home, I will make sure to knock on my neighbour’s door and talk to her..and later, I will call a friend who would be happy that I thought of him..
While on the topic, I should probably also tell my cousin to get outdoors and play real games for a change. Now, that might not really be a great idea…
