Technology/Internet has become an inseparable part of our daily lives now. It’s hard to imagine a day without Facebook, Whatsapp, Instagram, Linkedin or even Flipkart and maybe even carbazaar or policybazaar! The entire “e-age” has wrapped itself around us.
But is it comforting blanket or is it suffocating us?
The new ad by McDonald’s is amazingly beautiful in its message. It’s asking you to keep your phone away and enjoy the current moment you are in. We love such videos, because we relate to them. We all are guilty of spending way too much time with our phones and computers than with people around us.
And then we watch the ad by Airtel. It says that a person is on the phone throughout the day because the phone is enabling him/her to do daily chores. Gone are the days of long bank queues, we do everything on net-banking-pay bills, make FDs, check balances. We don’t have to go to post offices to send letters, we have emails and voice chats and instant messaging to stay connected to friends and relatives. We have now reduced our trips to malls or local shops, because we do online shopping of electronics, clothes, footwear and now even vegetables and pulses!
Both ads are so true.
We are all sitting in a paradoxical situation. We look at an ad by amazon.in which says Indians love to have more options: aur dikhayo, aur dikhayo. And that’s what we all want- the best of all the worlds. We are all experimenting with these social media platforms right now. None of us know if we are playing with fire or are we cushioning our lives for a better future.
When our Prime Minister says that Nepal’s PM came to know of earthquake by his tweet, we all should just sit back and realise the enormity of this platform. These platforms are open, fast, and real-time. The reality of the day is that if you are not active on these platforms, then your social media score is low which can impact you.
There are many reasons which should make you social magnet-companies hire basis social media presence of candidates, you can compare rates of products, you get information and knowledge faster and these days even your maid/driver is on WhatsApp.
But then how much time does it all need? And at what cost?
Imagine you were standing by the beach leading a calm, settled, peaceful life and suddenly this wave of internet came in and took you with it. The tides rose, you were not sure what was happening, you kept moving from wave to wave: there is Orkut, Facebook, google+. There is also Instagram, Linkedin, Pinterest, Twitter and what is that I see-Quora, Play Store, Kindle. Oh God I am going crazy, my head is spinning. Where do I go, where do I stop. I am concentrating too much on internet now; I haven’t had a look at my family who is waiting back at the beach for me. Let me spend some time with them. Oh another wave- this is online shopping wave, this is so addictive. And there is no one now left on the beach, all are swimming in the same tide; and I realise what’s happening.
This is the stage we are in. We have enjoyed the thrill of the tides, but we miss the solitude of the beach. And it’s a good phase to be in.
We need to take control of the time till we want to swim in this water and when we want to come back to the beach. You can’t choose to stop using social media altogether; set your ground rules now before the next wave comes in.
Internet is pretty stable now, I mean we kind of know what all is there and how much time we are spending on each. This could just be the calm before the storm.
Before the next big thing hits us and we don’t know where our time flies, sit down and prioritise the time you spend with face to face interactions and digital presence. Both are important and you need to know how best to leverage both.
Pic Courtesy: internet
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