Facebook - Who would've thought that two words from the dictionary thrown together would make the entire world go crazy. So crazy that a huge population of this world treats updating their status message on Facebook as a daily chore, like brushing their teeth or ,might I go to the extent of saying, like anserwing nature's call! Facebook has made us all sort of dignified voyeurs. We're all excited to see new albums uploaded and to know what's going on in other people's lives; the only thing that sets us apart from cheap peeping-toms is that people really want to show what they're up to. Now isn't that just perfect! Our basic human needs for connection, communication, and inclusion are being met by Facebook. I think it's a great community. Kudos to the people who came up with this grand idea.I have to admit that I get to learn so much from 'my' Facebook and that too about amazingly diverse topics that with the right mix of friends in my friendlist, I could one day classify my facebook home page as a mini encyclopedia! For instance, I get real time updates on Sachin's breathtaking nth century, Nadal's hits and misses or more recently, England's shameful defeat in soccer by US of A. For someone who does not religiously follow sports, this kind of information is like gold and can be leveraged/flaunted at the right opportunity, if nothing, to save face.
Another great example is when some generous friends post links to articles on current issues from various journals. With a total of 231 friends currently in my friendlist, even if 10% of them were to post useful links every now and then, that would amount to one new article to read every day of the month, barring weekends. Now that's something!!
Let's look at the other, more "fun" aspect of Facebook. I just love it when my friends upload new pictures of themselves on their fun weekends and vacations. Apparently, most of my friends are big travelers so I've seen a lot of pictures from around the world. I love traveling too, so I tend to have one of the following two feelings when I look at those pictures. Either I really long to go to that place because it looks stunning OR I am at peace with myself that even though I haven't seen that place, I've seen so many others like it! Nevertheless, whatever be the picture I admit that I am a "compulsive commenter". I am also a "ravenous comment seeker" and I hope I have company in this one coz it's kind of embarassing :P
Updating my status message can be cathartic for me at times. I can't say what it is, maybe it's sending out your deepest feelings in an empty open space. Maybe it's the comfort of knowing that at least one of your good friends will post a soothing comment that'll take your mind off your worries. Heck, maybe it's just the relief that you'll get some counseling without having to pay for it! After all, friends do know best (most of the times). And then sometimes, status messages are updated just to catch the boyfriend's attention when he's not paying any. Works like a charm :)
Alas, just like any other thing in life, Facebook too comes with some annoyances. Random friendship requests, requests from acquaintances you have previously rejected but they keep coming up and then the requests that you truly regret accepting. But it's all part of the game. After all, Facebook is a mini virtual world that has potential for being plagued by real world problems. For now, let's Keep It SSimple guys - I always loved this acronym :)
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