Sometimes I wonder to think that Social Networks are like one of may many friends. I get to speak to unimaginable number of people free of cost (but if time is money, I have lost millions ;-) ). I gain a enough professionally so balanced. Quite a few of the new ideas and solutions to my problems come through such friends, social networks. I found excellent professionals and subject matter experts (SME) on these social networks who have now become great companions. We help each other (It is a two-way street always) so again time need to be put as an investment. I found many older friends also on these social networks. Some of them are my schoolmates, some college mates and others are recent ones. It gives great sense of satisfaction to find lost friends, great companions, professionals and experts.
But you have to pay a cost for everything that you consume so much so that the air you breathe, water you drink, and space you live in doesn’t come free. If you are not paying the cost directly, it is being accrued indirectly. As I mentioned above, the amount of time invested can never be regained. Social networks are intriguing but intruding. These networks take away ‘privacy’. As a reader & fan of psychology, I can challenge that every human being has tendencies to be secretive. If one claims to be transparent, it is not a complete true statement – sometimes not true at all! like many politicians. But the fascination of revealing/publishing the things (which were best kept secrets) has surmounted the mind and remains unconquered we can also lots of mirch masala to this for fun. But I haven’t revealed the worst yet. These now this is American thought process with in social networks take away your imagination. These social networks make you the victim of OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) Now this is erected in me due to longer stay in the American way of expressing thoughts. I am not writing this as a preacher. I am also a victim of social networks . Orkut, (the only network that I exited) Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, Live Journal, and many others (I profusely reject requests for joining any other social network) just save time for me work & family.
Not so long ago (10-12 years back) we exclaimed when we found a long-lost friend in a crowded market, on board an airplane, in a train or some other place like that. Today we exclaim when we see someone after a gap of a week on Facebook. “Where’re you for so long.” Most people hate those who are not on these networks. They are considered ‘down market’, ‘illiterate’, ‘non-progressive’ and ‘naive’. Today photo albums have been replaced by Flickr, Picasa and other such sharable online albums, where anyone and everyone can see you (you can put some policies to avoid onlookers to some extent). To be there or not to be there - this state of dilemma has crippled me. I am not able to take a decision whether I shall be there and continue to harness the great deal of advantage or just simply detach myself to be more imaginative, original and free myself from enslavement. Share your thoughts with me with comments or ravindrapande@gmail.com
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