Net worth of a Network

Any sort of relationship forms the solid platform for an individual's personal as well as social evolution. Seldom has relationships been measured or friendships acknowledged in all senses than through the mass movement that is currently sweeping our country. Yes, Social networking has changed the way we communicate and revolutionized the way we relate to people. Orkut, Facebook, Ibibo, Twitter, Linkedin....the names are numerous and the rate of evolution is growing faster with each passing day. It is indeed an era of the internet revolution and social networking has become the brand icon for this revolution with its evident visibility.

Back in the days, a friendship always started with a "Hi" or "Hello", a gentle smile on the face and a hand shake with assurance. At certain junctures, a hug is an added element in the process. This was followed by regular meetings, hanging out at various cool spots catering to the tastes of the individuals and gradually accommodating each other. All this involved a clear involvement of our physical senses. Social networking changed the equation quite a bit. The physical senses were not important anymore nor was the individual behind a name. Handshakes were replaced by the finger shakes on the keyboard with rapid tapping matched probably by a tap dancer on the stage. The smile which took actual exertion of the muscles was now easy and effortless in two symbols on the keyboard ":" and ")". The self introductions which lay the platform for the friendship has now shrunk to three letters "asl". The age, sex and location of the person matters more than anything. It always puzzled me because neither of the three factors hold any value as we dont have any definite idea about the physical existence of the person. Well, I guess the cyber world sometimes bridges the gap between the "real" and "virtual" and helps us live out our fantasies. It is an easy wall to hide behind and still plot your story according to your wish. The perfect way to feel good about yourself. Yes, for me,socialnetworking has always been the perfect platform for an alter ego to satisfy your real ego.

Relationships in the social networks are more or less like bubbles floating around in the sky. The light shimmers through them creating a range of colors around them but all it takes it a simple poke to burst. I always wondered how people find it difficult to trust anybody in real life but find it easier to do it over a social network. Information about themselves, irrespective of whether it is fake or real, is shared and numerous sessions of chat without significance to any particular relevant topic happens over a period of time. One of the most interesting observations that I had while accessing these social networking sites is that, a person might not even think about somebody throughout the year, but when the notification of the birthday comes in, he is quick to wish the person with a lot of love and prayers and in a short span of time, the birthday boy/girl's wall (as in facebook) or any similar medium is filled with messages and greetings. A day to celebrate my existence on this planet turns out to a day where I am showered with an exaggerated display of love and affection and a spontaneous interest in my presence all over again, after almost a year. So much for the strength of a relationship bonded by a social network.

To sum it up, reality takes a back seat and individuality is hidden inside the chest of drawers as you log into one of these networks. The password typed in forms the key to a rather superficial existence in an extremely make believe environment. When a status message put by you saying "I am feeling lonely and sad" is virtually "liked" by a couple of your online friends and then some of them follow it up with concerned enquiries as to what happened, you start questioning the credibility behind the person. I wish for a day when people log out of these social networking sites and get out into the open to meet each other, look each other in the eye and share each other's heart. Even whilesocialnetworking is indeed a good step to save time and energy, I still believe our planet requires something which is much more important - actual human interaction. The world lacks emotions now and it is time to stop emoting through emoticons :)