Before the people start harping on my ass and calling me a hypocrite, here's what I've done: I've deleted both my Facebook profiles. All of it ,everyone in it. So now I can vent in peace :D.
I don't know what it is that urges us to know every little detail of anyone's life & also to post minute details of our own. Whatever you feel, whatever you think, WHY does it have to be publicized? Does anything you say really make a difference? Does it really matter to people other than just prompting a few comments on your wall & half a dozen obscenities in private? Cause that's what I used to do - curse hell upon those idiots.
And there are hundreds of such bimbos in my profile, who I couldn't care less about. I know I could easily block the updates of such people. But, that's not the point. The point is that the bloody F***ng stupidity of it all irritates the hell outta me. Self obsessed jerks who if do charity, post it on Facebook; jerks who post the amount of time they waited for a train, the amount they spent in the loo or some such equally astonishingly unnecessary stupid detail; jerks who follow petty agendas such as the 'i like it on the....' series, all in the name of raising awareness about cancer? To state a fellow blogger: WTF??!!
And the amazing thing is as there are people who post such shit, there are people who follow it too, even like it, love it, comment on it and get into an endless and highly meaningless discussion on it. Come on seriously, get a life !!!!! I mean I too have been subject to following the on-goings of my friends' life so closely, that it left me no short of feeling like a stalker (which ultimately made me question myself, what the HELL am I doing???).
This is what Facebook has done to people. Reduced us to brain-dead, nothing-better-to-do, post-it-all, follow-it-all voyeurs. And let's not even mention the hundreds of stupid games people follow like Farmville, Buttville (am sure must be one too) etc. What crap!!
If only we'd better invest the time we spend on Facebook for something else more worthwhile. I realize I have so much more time for myself and the things I want to do (and things I am supposed to be doing at that point of time), now that the Facebook bug's been rid of.
Ok. 'One' would be easy. Give me 'one and a half' useful thing that Facebook has done for you. Other than maybe helping you getting in touch with that old friend of yours with whom you lost contact over the years (as 'twas in my case.) But other than that, nothing. I figure '10' or at-most '15' is the figure, the number of people I want to be in touch with & know about. But then they are close friends & family; and we have the 'phone' to stay connected right.
I have emphasized the phone cause that too at times seems like an outdated thing. I know people who prefer to 'chat' or scrap each other on some such dumb networking site rather than talking to each other. And I know people who'd rather post every detail about their life & look or guidance (comments) from people, other idiots who really don't give 2 hoots about your life, rather than talking it out with someone close.
There's something called as too-easy access and being too much in touch. I think now people need to be more out-of-touch than being in-touch. It's become too easy now. I liked the days when people would take an effort to be in touch or at-least remember each other. It's really become way too easy now. Don't what a certain friend is upto? Oh, just log into facebook & check his status updates or just leave a message if you feel like it. That's not what staying in touch is about. It's about willingly reaching out to each other, talking to each other, remembering each other and letting the other person know you are willing to make that effort.
And here's where the change has been, that's made the whole effort worthwhile. As I have been off Facebook and as that's not an option anymore, people who matter have noticed and have started putting in an effort again to be in touch via messages or phone again. At-least better than leaving a note on the wall. Cheers to that.
And this post is not meant to criticize the people, but rather to lay a factual picture of really what - I think - is going on. I think what Facebook's really done is laid bare the stupidity and maybe the emptiness of people. The need of the people to share everything with the world has to go. We are giving too much of an entry to people into our lives (if not all, atleast most of us do). Facebook is a revolution. It's what defines this decade, this century, this generation. I would like to start a revolution by not being a part of this one. And let me tell you, "It's All Good" ;) .
P.S.2: Here's the trailer of the movie Catfish, based on Facebook, based on real world happenings of 2 people. Do watch.
