I became a citizen of the Facebook
nation in circa 2006 and tasted the heretofore hidden-to-me pleasures of
rampant social networking. Despite coming from the professional field of Public
Relations and having represented the buzzing world of hotels for the better part
of my career, I always seemed to saddle the fence between extroversion and
introversion. I had friends but few. My professional networking was mostly
business with only some that I got really close to. Then, the floodgates opened
– I was liberated by entering into the free for all world of Facebook as it
unleashed its powerful influence over me. I was suddenly, like so many others
like me, introduced to this whole new world where there was no limitation to
what could be shared, how much of it could be shared and with how many.
Looking back to that time of initial
euphoria, it is now a case of once bitten more than twice shy. I speak from
experience. I have done it all. I have used Facebook as if it were my secret
paramour and spent late nights way into the wee hours of the morning with it. I
have had a passionate relationship with it and kept up my daily rendezvous. I
have used it completely in all its facets – exchanges, messages, notes,
pictures, games, applications …… you name it and I have not only tried my hand
at it but become quite a pro, for whom a daily fix of Facebook has been as
important as eating or exercising.
After all this time I have, now, been
hit squarely in the middle of my eyes with the sore fact that I have miserably
done myself in. Precious time has been wasted, less stuff accomplished, less of
real joys and rewards of daily life cherished – in short, less of all positive
outcomes that come from good, well-planned, organized, disciplined, healthy
living.
So as I turn over a new leaf, I wish to
share my thoughts on the perils of being ensnared and trapped in the world of
Facebook, the advantages of extricating oneself from its clutches and the fruit
one can reap by bringing big doses of wisdom in using it to work for you in the
most optimal manner.
Here is my list of fundamentals that I
wish to adhere to, so as to regain my sanity, strive up on my mountain of
ambition and be much more aware of the real world around me -
1
I will fight the urge to
check my Facebook profile every few hours in the day and thereby rid myself of
the newly contracted FOCD – the Facebook Obsessive Compulsive Disorder that
seems to be afflicting many around the world. Heck, I will not even give
Facebook the same importance as I give to personal dental hygiene and will come
to realize that I do not NEED to check the site even twice a day.
2
I will not let the
“View of myself” get swayed easily by the Public Opinion of my Facebook Circle.
I do not mean to say that I will be in a self-absorbed cocoon and keep myself
immune to what friends – Facebook and real – think about me. No, no. That would
be a grave folly. But I will stop putting a lot of premium on the likes, unlikes
and comments that are, more often than not, resting on the shifting sands of
Facebook Timeline.
3
I will desist from
becoming an Open sharer and transform into a Sensibly thoughtful Networker –
mindful of others’ time, inclination, interest and space. Do I really think
that people care about when I woke up, what I had for breakfast, who I bumped
into at work, what my kid wore to the playground, what anniversary gift my
husband gave to me, what part of the world I am travelling to, which sea I am
taking Scuba-diving lessons in, whose threads am I wearing to that boring party…………………..
That is not to say that
I will recede into a shell. No. But I will be more conscious of what I unthinkingly
share and use the button more judiciously for more meaningful and purposeful
things.
4
My Facebook
Communications will climb to the higher moral, intellectual ground and I will
resist from commenting on and updating my status about just everything I seem
to be doing – shopping, attending a funeral, getting a haircut, taking my Dog
child to the Vet, walking, getting up with a headache, eating a commonplace or
fancy meal, driving on a NH, getting stuck in horrible city traffic, meeting a
friend, bumping into a foe, changing a flat tyre or the kid’s diaper, watching
a movie, eating the overpriced popcorn
…………you get the picture.
5
A picture is worth more
than a thousand words. And everybody appreciates a good picture or two or maybe
three. I will stop boring my friends with hundreds of shots of my mug, my
pooch’s face – however cute it may be, my travels to the most exotic location
in the world or just to my one horse-cart hometown, the food I eat at home or
at a luxe restaurant, the labels I wear to work and party or the rags I wear at
home.
6
I will reinstate the
Family to its sacred place in my heart and hearth and stop turning personal
moments into a Social platform tamasha. I will love my family dearly and to
eternity but seriously stop putting up pictures of my kids on my lap or I on my
Husband/Boyfriend/Partner’s lap, feeding my new born or getting cake smeared on
my face at the rowdy office Do, my new haircut I am ecstatic about or the old,
prized records that I still get mushy over, preparing a meal or picking up my
pet child’s poop ………. you are aware of the drift this is going into, right?
7
I will kill the urge to
be a braggart and refrain from putting up messages, pictures about my latest
acquisition, accolade, laurel or the favourable roll of the dice of luck.
8
I will stop weighing my
popularity / likeability with the strength or weakness in numbers of my
Facebook family. I will grasp the fact that this has no bearing on my real
self. Come to think of it, some of my closest friends may not even be on
Facebook, may have deactivated their accounts or perhaps may just be sleeping partners
on this fictitious journey.
9
While still holding in
utmost importance the power of Social Media and the reach of Facebook and
others in its ilk, I will wake up and smell the coffee on the fact that my mere
clicks on causes are not going to change this into a better world. Yes, there
have been the astounding examples of Arab Spring or finding of missing
children, but if I really want to make a difference then I will use Facebook as
a medium and put all my matter and might into real action.
I may think that I am
God’s gift to mankind. But I must come to terms with the fact that I am just a
speck on the wall in the world of others – significant, special, spaced-out from
me or social.
And yes, I will enjoy this precious gift of life and attempt to do all that is on my bucket list in real time rather than frittering away precious hours leading a virtual existence in a make-believe world.
How’s the
following for a mental, physical, emotional swap –
a.
I will actually use my
green fingers to grow something rather than tip-tap away on the keyboard to
plant trees in Farmville.
b.
I will attempt to meet
friends over coffee rather than exchange fleeting messages on Facebook or leave
comments on their pages.
c.
I will try and go out
to do volunteer work at an Animal Shelter or read to the Blind or teach at a
Slum School rather than simply “like” a cause and “share” it.
d.
I will enjoy the beauty
of nature with my naked eyes, relish my plate of food and be thankful for it,
participate in the joyful moment that is presented to me rather than get busy
behind my camera to click innumerable images to then be shared with my virtual
world.
e.
I may just want to take
the extra pains to call a friend on their special day or go that extra step to
send a hand-written note than just type out a far less emotion-laden “H.B.”
“H.A.G.D” on their profiles.
f.
I will try and spend
precious time with a friend-in-need at his or her trying hour rather than send
soulfully detached words of wisdom or support over the Facebook Freeway.
g.
I will be truly happy
in the happy times of my family and friends, solemn during their sad times,
supportive when the going is tough for them, congratulatory during their
winning moments and counseling when I see that I can make a difference with a
word or two rather than simply overusing the dispassionate “Like” button or the
disembodied “Comment” space. Yes, I have seen people use the “Like” button even
to a “I am missing my baby / I drove my partner madly to the hospital as he was
getting a heart attack / I am preparing to sue XYZ airline for losing my
baggage / I almost choked on my crab while at a fancy dinner with my gal pals.”
Come on guys, is Facebook making thought-less, no brain zombies out of us!
h.
I will not be
disillusioned by the reach of the written word on Facebook and tell myself the
huge lie that I am an avid reader. I will return to the charms of my musty,
friends of paper & ink that have always stood by me.
i.
I will not be in a
trance and assume my flashy, frivolous, free-spirited writing on Facebook to be
examples of fine literature. I will inject passion and perseverant action into
the book that needs to be finished and the articles that must be written for
appearance on meaningful platforms.
j.
I will perhaps go back
to riding, tennis, ball – whatever I used to have fun with in all those
wonderful growing up years rather than waste valuable time – that can never be
recovered – in playing nonsensical Facebook games.
k.
I will get out and walk
or jog or stretch rather than succumb to the Facebook Pilates or Yoga session
in the virtual world of Facebooked fantasy.
l.
Facebook gives a whole new
meaning and impetus to “Neighbour’s got a new car.” Comparisons may be odious
elsewhere but not so, on Facebook which has become such a hotbed for peeping
into other people’s lives or being openly invited by them and comparing what
they do and we don’t. My life is a result of my choices, Karma, action and
inaction. God and they alone know if all the roads leading to my friends are
paved with gold or dust, gore or grime and whether they are rock solid or
precariously laid out on shifting sands. No comparison can ever be true or
satisfying.
m. Henceforth,
I am staunchly going to practice Carpe Diem and seize the innumerable
opportunities a day in my life throws up at me. No more frittering away time of
so much worth on the fleeting and on-the-surface pleasures of Facebook.
n.
I will always remember
that Facebook is a mere means to some of my ends. It is not the mega matter on
which my life depends.
o.
I will reaffirm to
myself that I am a smart, cognizant living being willing to use the
magnificence and might of these social networking vehicles with caution, good
judgement and intelligence. I will not be a dumb jackass who gets swept away by
the superfluous suffusion of the social media.
p.
The Facebook world, for
an individual and not a marketer, is largely phantasmal, unreal, totally
virtual that at best helps one in connecting and de-stressing. Nothing more,
nothing else. Hence it will not be allowed to swallow large chunks of my life
into its bottomless womb.
As I get on a
path of enlightenment, while some of my Facebook friends will say ‘good
riddance,’ I in turn bid you bye-bye Facebook. May you and I meet each other
less frequently and impinge on each other’s life and space even more rarely. We
will meet; yes we will but only as long lost lovers who still have that hushed
up feeling for each other but for now must part our ways only to meet again
secretly at another brief point in time.
Finally, I
comprehend that Facebook is not the all-consuming monster in my life. It is
just a via media, a sometime ‘time pass’ and connection / communication tool. I
reclaim that I am the Master of My Universe!
Picture courtesy - Google Images and www.deviantart.com
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