Monday, July 16, 2007

Let's talk.....

Righty ho!! In case you are wondering if this thing is about yapping all over the place, well..... you are not very much off the mark!! Frankly, the focus here is about how much we interact over the net/phone with people we hardly know or who are just mere ids/nicks for us. IS it really possible for us drown so much into this world that we lose touch with reality and are virtually incapable of talking to anyone in person, unless we end up texting/IMing them?? Can fruitful relationships really be developed over the net??


In case, you wonder, why I decided to take walk down this alley it's because of a discussion on Virtual Relationship at Between Us Friends and an article in Times of India this Sunday Shall We Talk the Talk. Having contributed to both of them, I realised how much there is to talk about this topic.


Most of the people in the 15-30 age group spend a lot of time on the net, create different ids and get chatting. Previously, it was Yahoo Chat, then came along India times Chat and other chat engines. Finally, we had Orkut. That was the first salvo from Google, which took over and altered the entire world of online interaction. Hi5, did I hear someone mention that?? Well, the truth about Hi5 is, it doesn't offer the same facilities that Orkut does. Moreover, while Hi5 was sleeping, Orkut captured the imaginations of the young generation like never before. Orkut was the rage. And then, slowly came GTalk. Still evolving I've heard. Never mind. The point is through all these forums of interactions, people came to know each other. The world started shrinking. Distance mattered lesser and lesser when it came to knowing someone as if you know them for ages.


At such a point of time, members of senior generations kept talking about how unhealthy it is, how much we are losing touch with the real world (they still say so, but in a more understanding manner!!) and so on. Result, a complete network of friends who have never met each other except in chat rooms and yet they are perhaps better connected than anyone else they know.

Is this undermining the need to interact face-to-face?? Not at all. If the pattern is to be closely observed, these people meet over the net, connect, establish a bond which definitely makes them feel strongly that their interaction is not all about just chatting it's about being friends..... and then they meet. It's happening everyday. And having been a part of such gatherings more than once, I can vouch for the wonderful meetings that they can be.


But the flip side is, some one can get too involved in the world of "asl","brb","lol","lmao" to lose touch with the real world. And this happens only when one allows the net to dominate one's life. Every technology has a flip side, the trick is to use it judiciously.


And frankly, as a person who has found real friends over the net forming lasting bonds is not a difficult task. trust me, it's not easy either, but then you know the ropes.


Talk as much as you want, but remember nothing should be so important that it runs your life rather than you yourself!!


The rambling on this topic is not yet over. I'll continue later with the relationships part. Stay tuned.

31 comments:

david mcmahon said...

You're so right, Sam

Talking is the oldest form of communication and sometimes we forget just how important it is.

Tech is good. but communication is the bottom line - and always will be.

Cheers

David

Occasional Brilliance said...

well honestly, i do lk writing lettrs n callin ppl a lot bettr den scrappin em or pingin em on yahoo... bt its jst effective, n free n fast... n i think tats y we opt 4 it...

bt i agree wid u wn u say tat too much f nethin is bad n der hv been unfortunate consequences to gettin heavily involved wid a nameless faceless stranger...

Keshi said...

Talking is very imp to be human. or else its some other animal LOL!

Great post Sam...got me thinking of the net and chatting ina very different angle..a good one. TY!


Keshi.

Anonymous said...

Hey Samie

My new URL :

http://crusading-rinascimento.blogspot.com/

Sam said...

Hi David,

I am so glad, you came around to check this one out. And yes, no matter what you do, the magic of a smooth voice, or teh casual wave of teh hand while talking just cannot be ruled out!!

Cheers
Sam

Sam said...

@firewhisky: ah!! well... it's sad but true, isn't it? while we get to to meet wonderful people over the net, we do come across some creep ones too!!

@Keshi: Really?? stop.. don't think in a different manner... else, I might have to start knowing you all over again.. lol.. thnx buddy!!

@Super: roger that!! will update...

neers said...

Loved this post. Not just bcoz this is written so well but also bcoz u covered both the sides of the coin.Which is proof to the older generation to know that we Do know where to draw the line!!

Waiting for the next part.. :)

Dazzy said...

i completely agree on wat u said...u do need 2 dominate...not let d net dominate u...bt still, this virtual world of frndshp gives u a pleasure which v are barred 4m real lyf...wat say?

david mcmahon said...

Your reply to me is so right Sam,

The nuances of human behaviour are precisely what make face-to-face contact so important.

Looking forward to your follow-up post.

Cheers

David

Keshi said...

LOL!

yadda yadda yadda..thats me :)

Keshi.

Kalyan Panja said...

Yes technology has in fact broadened our world of friendships & wonderful things do happen but I believe, we should know the line where to stop, else life will just become a virtual game & I do agree that technology should be used judiciously else technology will dominate us instead of the other way around.

ishipishi said...

everything in moderation...true

an interesting read and u got it all covered....

when do i see ur "BUFer of the week" post?

and yes my blog's back (from near hibernation) @ http://ishipishi.blogspot.com

cya @ BUF :)

ishipishi said...

actually that shud read *near extinction* ... lol...

Sam said...

@neeraja: oh!! you are so right... and that's why even they are takng to net nowadays!! ;)

@dazzy: u r so right lil one :P... dats how i found you didn't i??

@keshi: lol.... u r definitely someone to watch out for!!

@kalyan: rightly so.. else who knows the matrix may be a reality one day!!

@ishi: good to know about your blog.. am coming right over... as for the post of the week... am so confused... wot do i write about?? :(

Sam said...

hi david...

you really put that thing in the right words!!

My followup post will be here shortly.. i need to structure it carefully.... a lil patience!! :)

cheers
sam

Keshi said...

u watch me and I'll watch u LOL!

Im a spy too...u'll know why if u read my current post. ;-)

Keshi.

Sam said...

okies.. lady.. suit yourself....
now, i'll keep watching you... never take my eyes off you... lol... :P

IncorrigibleV said...

hawww i got so late for my most fav topic in the whole world, loved the post sam... and am eagerly waiting for the next part.
waise u're right... the net does grow on u but then i know that if ure in the right places u can find the best of ppl and bond with them at a deeper level ...
the distance sometimes makes the interaction easy, sometimes tough...but all of it plays some part in the connection u develop with ur net frnds...
there are the ropes in anything and everything, we just need to trust ourselves to think and reason when needed !!
loved the post...

Aashi said...

hey namesake..nicely writtn n true but i think if u cud add the "rest" of wat u spoke in the end...n completethe whole thingy then dntcha think thisfis in2 the genre of thinkin youth...oh btw hi hvnt cum ol since a week now...got my stuff dun thru caling up my buddy...sry thus no contri frm my end...newyz gud job only wrap it up coz i c my parts n points u missd in this article...

tc :)

Aashi said...

many parts***....

hmm anuthr set bak of the virtual world...

too many typos :P

Rashi said...

very rite..talking forms the base of all and then we can categorize, thts later...communication is wot matters !

nice write up !

Keshi said...

lol Sam!

Keshi.

Sam said...

@vands: "we just need to trust ourselves to think and reason when needed "... how right you are!! :)

@aashi: lol.. i ws wondering u went off lady!! :)
and yes, aashi, the topic is in the genre of thinking youth but need to be drafted differently.. and doncha worry i'l do that!!

@rashi: dats teh thing... talking is so important!! so wanna talk?? :P

@keshi: :)

Oracle said...

well the way internet has molded people's habit of consuming content i is bewildering to think of the future possibilities.

As an offshoot: The power of instant feedback is so effectively evident in here that all those management gurus who cry hoarse stressing the need for feedback will feel the need to revisit their philosophy!
Check out http://senguptaspeak.blogspot.com
and you will see what i a mean.

Sam said...

ummm.... did check out that blog.. wot abt it?? is it about the responses dat you are talking about??
I guess feedback is more related to the level of invlovement, is it not so?

Pri said...

know exactly what u mean...
been there , done that ...and yess i can now say tht the virtual world can give u friendships wch can last for a lifetime...but it can cause u a lotta damage too...so u got to know where to draw the line...here, thrs a very thin line between fiction and reality n u gotta make sure u dont miss it :)
tk care!

Oracle said...

yes , Feedback is good , but the drawback is that people use the anonymity provided by the internet medium to give vent to their vicious side and take complete leave of protocols of decency

Sam said...

@Pri: well said... the lines separating reality from fiction in this world is very and thin and it's easy to get misguided when in the flow of things.. discretion during early stages i guess is more than just important then!! wot say?

@Oracle: ah!! it's a double edged sword isn't it... anonymity can be maintained by both teh parties it is but a sad side-effect...

Sweetstickychewy said...

You know i think you write well...

Have always thought that.

When i was younger, the internet or chatting with faceless people for that matter make people raise eyebrows, think we are corrupting ourselves etc. I am glad that people are much more open minded this days.

I wouldn't bet on chatting. But i feel blogs or people who blog could possibly be more genuine and heartwarming. And could possibly promise some more lasting I feel. Rather than meeting in a chatroom.

:) Cheers

Sam said...

hey.. thanks!!!
amd you can bet on chatting... i found my closest frnd thrugh chatting :)

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