It is the best of times... It is the worst of times

There has been a frenzy these days for a lot of social networking and life has been very comfortable thanks to them. But somewhere down the line we forgot the actual use of the devices. They were meant to add on to our existing lives, help us stay in touch with our loved and dear ones who are really far. But in our madness we have made it a generic solution for everything. Friends who stay a stone's throw away meet me on the phone only. Others who are a bit more far are always meeting me online.

So ridiculous is the situation that when I meet my friends in person, we don't have anything to talk and promise to call each other and the online ones have nothing to talk on the phone and we promise to ping each other.. There is an awkwardness in our conversations and confrontations (if I may use the word) when we move from a known surrounding to another. Its natural for that to happen. The conversation however feels weird later, that someone who you used to talk to for so long on the phone cannot talk in person.

There is something else also at work here, the anonymity of the premise. While chatting online the tone and body language is hidden and you can be a totally different person, maybe from a figment of your imagination. While on the phone the body language is hidden and thus your true self is still hidden. Your actual reactions, your thoughts.. innermost ones, are all hidden. Well whether we break these self created shell walls is only up to us, like everything else it needs time to settle in and feel comfy talking in person to our friends.
There is another breed of people germing in who would post their smallest details and tiniest thoughts to the most intimate ones, online. What are they planning to gain from this is still unknown. Is it faith? Is it attention? Is it just the feeling on being one with the crowd and having a security of not being out-caste?

Recently on the day of Raksha-bandhan I read several status messages claiming that they are missing their sisters and brothers. Is it something that you want the whole world to know? Is it something that u want your friends to "like" or "comment" upon? Isn't this feeling meant for you, your sister and your family only? On the pretext of being "open minded" or being forward we are forgetting the basics. I pity the sisters who are missed by their brothers only on Raksha-bandhan and that too on a public forum, as if it was a political drama going on to garner some more popularity and votes. Don't these guys miss their sisters any other time during the year? If yes, then why don't their status messages reflect that ever again in the whole year?? I am surprised, but well maybe I am old fashioned and still call my sister up and chat with her for hours rather than announcing it publicly that I am missing her! Should I be having a status message that says that I am calling her?!!