Maybe George Orwell was Wrong about Journalism

There’s this quote going around that people credit to the author of works such as ‘1984’ and ‘Animal Farm’. It goes something like this…

Yeah, this quote.

Now, let me confess something right at the beginning.

I don’t really know if he said it or if it means something else altogether or if he meant it as a very complex metaphor to say something that I haven’t understood, but from what I gather from its literal meaning is that journalism is about letting people know about things that other don’t want them to know.

Now maybe he might not have used this quote to convey an absolute definition of journalism but seen and understood on its own, without a point of reference, it does seem like a very confined view of the field to me.

Saying that journalism is printing what others don’t want printed defines only one aspect of the many possibilities journalism holds. Information, knowledge, awareness, peacekeeping, gate keeping and even revolution are some of the various aspects of what one might call journalism per se.

Printing only what others don’t want printed seems to then be a very stunted view which implies that only the bad side of human nature is what journalism should strive to portray.

But journalism, as far as I understand it, stands as a mirror before society, showing it its true face, pretty or ugly, sane or insane, free or enslaved. But always what society really looks like, not only what-must-not-be-said.

Image Courtesy: genius.com

Some might today claim that the media has become biased, that it does show only what it wants to, that it all depends on the interest of those who control the media. Others claim that ‘breaking news’ is all what the media is about today. And still others believe that the amount of bad news being printed and broadcast is more than the good that is happening in society.

Does that mean this quote holds true?

Not necessarily. One has to look beyond the bad to search for the good. It does happen all around us and it is reported. Maybe it’s just that we are so attuned to the bad that we cannot find enough good to make it count.

As someone actually working in this industry, I know how hard journalists toil to search for a good story amongst the murders and suicides of everyday life. These stories then appear in print and are broadcast, but are we open enough to give the good news enough credit?

Are we ready to admit that George Orwell might, just might, be wrong?

Are we?

Indian Media teaches Sexism to School Children Now!

Today, the results of the CBSE class 12 results were announced across India and the kids seemed to have done pretty well. Although I don’t believe in the present system of examination myself, I’m sure we have a lot of proud parents today and others who are saying, “Look, Sharmaji’s son got 0.2% more than you! Which college will accept you now? You have destroyed your career and my reputation!”

Meanwhile the media is all about ‘Girls score better than boys!’ ‘Girls beat boys’ and so on and so forth all over social media. They’ll probably do the same thing on the front page of their newspapers tomorrow morning. And well, the news channels will be doing it right now. Really! Go check.

Ever since this dialogue of sexism has come to the forefront in India, we have been all about the empowerment of women and highlighting their successes and praising their leadership skills. All that is well and good and it is actually helping. But then the media goes ahead and creates the kind of tension that is counterproductive to everything else they think they’re doing for women empowerment.

Image Courtesy: dailymail.co.uk

While the only thing they’re doing is:

They’re creating unhealthy competition

Almost every media house in India has tweeted something to the effect that girls have performed better than boys in this academic year. What they don’t seem to realize is that they’re unconsciously widening the gender rift in academia which is already bad in India. Competition is good, but competition based on plain old gender divisive lines is ridiculous.

They’re creating familial rifts

Nobody can understand this point more than those who have risen in a house with a sibling of another gender. In a still very much patriarchal Indian society, a boy scoring less than a girl is perceived as a shame as it is assumed that the boy is going to be the breadwinner of the family. Looking at such headlines from the family perspective, the media is just putting more pressure on boys to do well. No wonder cases of suicides are going up every year.

Their idea of feminism is as evolved as a chimpanzee

The media wants to empower women but they either don’t know or don’t want to believe that feminism does not encourage putting one gender over the other. It is not about demeaning boys but about bring everyone to the same level. By saying, ‘girls outshine boys’ the only thing they’re proving is that they’re knowledge of feminism is as much as the politicians they label ‘sexist’.

Oh Indian media, when will you figure out what you're really doing?

I am an ousted CEO too

You’ve all no doubt heard about the case about the investors of housing.com oust the very founder of the company, Rahul Yadav. There must be a number of cases where similar things have happened to entrepreneurs who have sought investors to fund their fledgling start-ups. Now, I don’t presume to compare myself with Yadav in any way but…

Mine is one such story as well.

In September, 2013, three of my friends and I came up with an idea of starting up a news website for the students of the institute where we studied. We envisioned it as a platform for our fellow students to participate actively in the fields they were studying for. A practical approach to academics is what we brought our focus on when we thought up our web magazine.

Since we thought this up on the stairs of our institute, and involved the contribution of every one of our students, it was obvious that we were going to approach our management with this plan. We did so, and to our utter surprise obtained instant and enthusiastic support. We were asked to begin work immediately and submit requests for funding as and when required.

We were ecstatic and set up our website over eight months of planning, business model development, website designing and social media operations. Finally, out product was launched on the April 12, 2014 in the presence of the institute management and students. We had our own start up!

I assumed the role of Editor-in-chief, another co-founder as Chief Technical Executive and the other two co-founders as Editors of the two beats they excelled at. Although this selection does not seem fair, I must point out that the people in these posts were ratified by a general election within a week.

We ran the website with vigour and published 54 articles in the first two months of the launch alongside our hectic study schedule, assignments and internships. Some of our students even worked full time to support their education and even they contributed in one way or another to the initial success of this operation.

As in any other organization, we faced criticism, disgruntled employees and complaints relating to bias and prejudice. Although, all of these allegations were proved to be baseless time and again, these problems seemed to have an impact on the trust the management had placed on us and the morale of the entire team as well.

Decision-making ultimately passed to a representative of the investor (management) and although I still held editorial powers along with other editors, it became increasingly apparent that the democratic model upon which we had founded this organization was to come under fire from those who had deigned to finance it.

Finally, fed up with constant intrusions upon my sovereignty as Editor and decision making behind my back, I resigned from my post at the end of two months to allow for a new editor and pledged my support to the team if they needed it; albeit from outside. My resignation was rejected for reason I’m sure you can imagine and was told to maintain charge till they (management) could decide on someone to take my place and restructure the organization, placing their representative in overall charge.

Reluctantly, I withdrew my resignation in the interest of the magazine against my better judgement. But by then, the determination to lead controlled organization had left me and the team’s will to work had waned to the point that they refused work until the tie this matter was sorted out.

Two months of forced pieces and half-hearted work later, the management decided not to amend their mistakes but to make some more. They asked for my resignation in August, 2014, appointed their own Editor and asked the rest of the team to resign as well. They held a rigged election, refused to reveal the results and formed their own team against the wishes of the student body.

They rebelled.

Today, our organization lies, covered in dust, waiting for a new generation of students to shake the dust off what would have been a reputed student’s platform if only power hadn’t corrupted the investor.

Although complete in itself, this is still an excerpt of the whole case. You can read the full story here: The Story of an Ousted CEO

OMG! Sex on Indian Television?

[The Indian adaptation of the hit HBO television series Game of Thrones, slated to be produced by Balaji Telefilms and Sony Entertainment, will feature loads of sex, gratuitous nudity and decapitations (along with limb-severing), our reporter was told by an anonymous source. Speaking about the plot of the Indian version, Ekta Kapoor says, “We are in talks with Aamir Khan Productions to acquire the film rights of Lagaan.”

Sakshi Tanwar, bahu of the highest order-the ideal Indian wife-reason mothers-in-law hate their daughters-in-law, says, “I’m so excited to be playing the ‘Mother of Dragons’ character. My husband gets killed, I get an army and just for Indian audiences, I get to stab my mother-in-law with a Dothraki blade.” Asked about the question of nudity, she says, “I’m tired of being the goody –two-shoes of Indian television. People will see me in a whole new avatar now.”

Although the cast has been hush-hush, here is the grapevine about the possible cast of the show:

Sakshi Tanwar to play Daenerys ‘Mother of Dragons’ Targaryen

Come my baby Dragons, come to me...

Salman Khan to play (the bodyguard) Jaime Lannister

Kingsguard Captain Chulbul Pandey

Mallika Sherawat to play Margery Tyrell

Seducing Kings who are Kids

ACP Pradyuman (because nobody knows his real name) to play Tywin Lannister

I always pay my debts... to Daya!

And many more…

It is believed by a majority of television analysts in the nation that CID will no longer be aired after this show makes its debut. Karan Johar has tweeted that he will cast all of in his next flick ‘Kal toh hai hi nahi’ with the hash tag #DayaJustChill.]

[To know more about the cast of the cheap copy of the Game of Thrones that might also see Rakhi Sawant featured in it, you might want to the Faking News website. You can view the article here: Indian television all setto start a cheap copy of Game of Thrones]

Note: This post has been written for Faking news. Did you notice the ‘Faking’ before the word news? That’s because this is a parody of mainstream news and is supposed to be taken in jest and humour.

All Images Courtesy: Google Images.

Breaking Chains of Religious Hatred

One unfortunate result of this brilliant communication application called Whatsapp is that overzealous and people of a more religious mindset keep sending novenas, rosaries, prayers, deep cries for help from the depths of their hearts and sometimes messages that are deeply intolerant towards other religions. Sometimes, the last type of messages almost makes one believe they’re part of “ISIS Public Relations Group”. And this is not to single out any one religion; these types of messages come from across the board and are sometimes wrong on so many levels that sometimes an argument automatically erupts even though deep inside one knows that it’s like talking to a wall.

Image Courtesy: Google Images.

Apart from the harmless prayers and the propagation of religion, the things that really are disturbing are messages that call for a radical shift to stop the perceived persecution of a particular religious group whose traditions (read: holidays) are being eliminated by the government in conjunction with fringe elements who wish to convert the nation into one religion.

There is a strong call to action in these messages that is almost frightening to someone who understands the kind of repercussions that can accompany these messages once they are kept bombarding to the general public. It creates the kind of schism that can lead to a deep seated hatred in the long run and as someone who lives in a city that’s already seen brutal religious violence in the past, it is horrifying to read these messages and makes one wonder at how things have gone so bad.

Messages informing of attacks on places of worship and forceful conversions take a turn towards absolute outrage that has been unseen in India before. Allegations on television debate shows are one thing and the active radicalization of those who wish to live in peace is another. It only goes to reinforce the fact that religions are always going to be violent, however peaceful they might appear on the outside. This is not a comment on entire groups but radical elements that fester inside and are reactive to even minor infractions by others.

These are no better than the terrorists who age open war upon society. In fact, they are even more dangerous because they wage their guerrilla warfare through communication techniques and so subtly that the recipient might not even realize the shift in their mindsets until it is too late and sometimes not even then. In the media, this is known as the ‘magic bullet’ or the ‘hypodermic needle’ theory where the masses are fed an idea without their realization or recollection of the same.

It is important to see through such messages for what they really are before forwarding it to other people so as not to ‘break the chain’ of “prayer” as mentioned therein. This will not only stop the spread of hatred coming from diseased minds but also ensure the peaceful coexistence that India claims to be so proud of.

Banned!

Image Courtesy: Google Images.

The government has decided that anything that does not conform to their version of morality will be banned; in the interest of the nation of course. Any manuscript, painting, photograph or film that does not uphold the standards that our ‘conservative’ government holds true, will be removed from the history books so that the innocent minds of the country are not polluted by it. Any reproduction, for commercial purposes or otherwise will be disallowed and anyone even held on suspicion of talking about such things will be beaten up by the ideological goons that may or may not have the support of the government.

The idea of the freedom of expression in this country seems to be quite skewed when one notices that things relating to artistic expression, depiction of reality and the cause of showing society the mirror are viewed as being obtuse, rebellious even. And on the other hand, things relating to the apparently ‘correct’ view of society, such as they are; that is sanctioned by the government, are given a free hand even at the cost of the resignation of the entire censor board.

I suppose if and when there comes a time in the history of a nation when those who seek to portray the truth have to leave it and seek exposure and asylum in foreign nations, that nation is not ready to face its own ugly reflection in the mirror of reality. That nation is surely going down a path where the government doesn’t want to show the truth to the people and when that happens, I think it means all is not well in that nation.

If our government is not ready to accept the reality of an abominable incident that took place in the national capital under their very noses and is not ready to accept a film showing the inequities and shortcomings of the state machinery and the minds of the perpetrators, the government needs a reality check and a break from trying to keep the ugly truth from the people.

And if the government still wishes to just ban anything that is worthwhile, go ahead. We will just download the stuff and then upload it again till everyone gets to see what you’re trying to hide.

Parliamentary Humour

It seems that our Members of Parliament and especially one from the acting community can’t handle radio humour. They really can’t tolerate the filthy jokes and mimicry of radio jockeys that they so blatantly broadcast to the people of the country. They want the respect they think they deserve just by sitting within the annals of power, in the capital of the country.

It was actually hilarious to see the honourable member beg the government to do something about the abominable jokes cracked by media persons about her honourable colleagues and her honourable self of the honourable house. Oh, and as usual, other honourable members who hadn't received any honourable mention for some time jumped onto the honourable bandwagon and gave their honourable comments to the dishonourable media who are always poking fun at them. How honourable indeed!

It is very curious, this case of the member of the house feeling bad about all the jokes and tomfoolery that is produced at the cost of the house because she this begs the question of whether she is ever present in the house to see the antics of the chosen ones and if she is present, if she remains awake long enough to see the kind of things the people watching the Lok Sabha channel have to put up with.

I wonder how RJs and other ‘media people’ are supposed to describe what happens in the house except for mimicking the members. The people obviously can’t see the RJs over the radio so they can’t watch them enjoying a porn clip on their phone or wave bundles of money or throw microphones or climb on the speaker’s desk, so they have to content themselves by listening to them poke fun at the honourable MPs through sound. Oh, oh I forgot, they can’t even see the RJs pepper spraying the shit out of each other with ‘Rang barse, bheege chunarwaali, rang barse’ playing on the mixer.

Image Courtesy: Google Images.

The media has the right to portray whatever it likes as long as it is not defamation. If the media cannot show the people what need to be shown or what the people want to see and hear, then the very existence of the media is for naught. The media recently also came under fire in Uganda for showing the President of the country among other members of Parliament sleeping mid-session.

What the honourable members need to do is improve their own behaviour rather than slam radio jockeys and other media persons for showing what they are really up to.

The Perspective of a New Journalist

To be a journalist has been this dream of mine ever since I can remember. There certainly were days when I thought flying in a fighter jet would be better, but it always came down to the feeling of having the need to show people the truth. At the end of the day, it was always the thought of the nonsense being fed to the public that got my temperature to boiling point.

Journalists taking sides, whole media houses promoting big companies/religious leaders/ political parties, anchors who didn't let their panelists speak (OK you know who that is), shameless partiality in reporting news, making up news and avoiding real issues that affected people in lieu of issues that could make newspapers sell like hot cakes, channels increase their TRPs and websites increase their traffic are things that make the world laugh at the ethics of Indian media and the gullibility of its populace.

Indian journalism seems very bleak if one knows where to look. If one does manage to somehow get to the reality, it is almost hopeless and this not my opinion but of those few good people who have to hold their conscience down and do what they are told by their corporate bosses.

Image Courtesy: Google Images.

It might seem that I’m trying to propagate conspiracy theories about the media being controlled by a few rich people and those in power but my case is substantiated by the recent fact that the CEO of Door Darshan is demanding that the government declare complete autonomy for the government controlled channel.

It might be confusing for some that I've joined a field which I have no qualms about criticizing but a system can only be changed from within. It’s high time the media realizes that the people are not stupid, that they can see through their sensationalism, their mockery of national issues and manipulation of people’s emotions. The fact that the media is actually supposed to show society a mirror of itself seems to be lost under the weight of commercialization and the greed of those who would seek nothing more than to perch themselves in the front row of so-called democracy.

However, there is hope for change. There still are independent media houses, new entrepreneurs and upright journalists who cannot bear to see the state of things as they are. These people need to be supported but without any vested interests otherwise it will all be for naught.

Buying out the Fourth Estate

Today, a lot of media has come under the power of industrialists. It’s not just a lot, but a major portion I believe. Large corporations are buying off small newspapers, television channels, websites or head hunting their best employees to work for their media subsidiaries.

Image Courtesy: Google Images.

It seems all the varied media houses, all the options in the media that we had are being collected under a few big banners who mean to take control of what is viewed by the populace, not only in India but round the world. It is of course in the interests of these oil barons, telecommunication tycoons and entertainment giants to buy out or control a majority shareholding in news outlets.

It is not hard even for a layman to understand what kind of manipulation of the news can take place once the channel or channels are in direct control of their new boss; Positive publicity, doses of advertising, hiding unfavourable news and sensationalizing the news to increase viewership and thereby, revenue.

Image Courtesy: Google Images.

Assuming that those who start news outlets in the form of newspapers, television channels and news websites do so with a view of upholding the true spirit of journalism, we can see what happens after they are bought out by these selfish and to an extent, parasitic corporations who then manage to pocket truckloads of cash by just giving the public the show they want, and not anything substantial.

Journalism, ever since it got pulled into the race for giants trying to control the media, has become a difficult job. Trying to publish a substantial news story becomes as much of a job as getting the story especially if the story is about something that concerns the other subsidiary company held by the parent company which also happens to be a major shareholder of your media house. It can also be difficult in case the story is about that minister or officer or public figure whose campaign is funded by the corporation that owns your media house. Well, if it positive news, it will probably run the whole day but if it is even slightly negative, it goes against the policies of the newspaper or channel. Clear out the story or clear out your desk.

Image Courtesy: Google Images.

Another disastrous downside of these mergers and buyouts in the media is that large corporate now own many channels and publications under a single roof. If one of them does not bring in as much revenue as the rest, it will either be shut down or downsized to cut losses. It is because of this very same reason that sensationalism has become a big part of the media today. Ridiculous things are hyped, people are made to shout at each other, anchors try to grab the limelight and in the middle of all of this, the substantial news is loss in the echoes of those trying to get it out over the cacophony of all the garbage that occupies our screens.

With the latest buyout of those who claim to be ‘18 till they die’, here’s hoping that this media house doesn't change its colour from Red to Saffron.


Here is a video that will help you understand what is happening to the Indian media, albeit from a foreign perspective: Indian Media has never had it so Bad

Selective Censorship in India

Off late, I’ve come to realize that censorship in India is a pretty selective process. Only those things that the panel find distasteful are edited out or cut completely so that Indian viewers don’t have to watch all kinds of “BAD” things and be disgusted or morally corrupted by the same.

Image Courtesy: Google Images.

Of course, the cinema, television and advertising industry in the western nations don’t need to take care of these things because they are already morally void, so they think. But we Indians, no no no no no, we are those who uphold our culture and moral traditions in the strictest sense. We cannot allow nudity, intimacy, slang, smoking, drinking and rape to go up on any type of screen in India because it would horrify the masses because they don’t spew swear words out of their mouths, they don’t smoke or drink and they most definitely never have sex. The population of India has merely increased due to asexual reproduction.

Now if the various censor boards for different kinds of media in India feel certain things should not go up, there must be a reason and I just stated it, but doesn’t bribery and corruption come under the degradation of morals and ethics that they so loudly preach through their scissor-wielding arms that cut of other things from camera reels?

Image Courtesy: Google Images.

I recently saw an advertisement that has been bothering me since the first time I watched it. The ad shows some kids in a classroom trying to decide which one of them would be the opening batsman for the school cricket team. Many people ask for the opportunity but the child on the first bench just makes sign with his hands, the captain goes to him and the former kid shows him his tiffin box which contains chappatis with jam in them. The captain tastes one and makes the kid the opening batsman.

What does this ad portray?

I know that at first glance or in the first reading, it may appear to be a pretty normal ad for jam and appear to be reinforcing the fact that the jam is very tasty. But if one looks into the ad, one might realize that this is a case of clear bribery and that too among children. The kid bribes the captain to give him the opening spot on the team by parting with a jam roll.

And this advertisement is meant for kids.

Unbelievable!

Dos this ad not show the kids of India that they can get things done by simple bribery? And is bribery not morally and ethically “BAD” for the Indian population?

Oh but that’s quite alright I guess or the censor board might have been too busy editing out naked men and women from perfume ads to notice the blatantly corrupt message that this advertisement gives to the children, albeit very innocently.

The people who sit on such panels should realize that rather than attempting to stop scandalizing the population of India, they should attempt to stop this corruption of children’s mentality.

The Replacement of the Journalist

Journalists are those who have taken up the challenge to inform the general public of what is happening around them. They swear to do so with all the morality and with every ounce of ethical matter they posses.

Now, I know that it doesn't always turn out this way and some journalists tend to go off the path they started out on, however, this is the code of the journalist and it has remained as such; preserved within those few who have upheld the torch of truth in the bog of deceit that surrounds us.

I, like any other aspiring journalist, would like to believe that there is still something to be salvaged from the apparent wreck of journalism. Although my realistic side does tend to give me a slap now and again about my childish folly, I want to believe that every journalist is human first and a pawn of society second.

This is because the journalist has something that is called a conscience. An inherent feeling of what is right and wrong. And even though they cannot afford the luxury of subjectivity in their line of work, they still have the sacred duty of protecting the society in their role as gatekeepers of any and all information that is received by the mass.

Image Courtesy: Google Images/The Guardian.

I recently read somewhere that a few media houses had begun using robots, yes, robots to automatically update news from sources. These ‘technological marvels’ auto-update news on the basis of pre-set priorities from a given clutter of information.

How, I ask?

How can a machine tell what information is to be disseminated and what is not?

How can a machine distinguish between right and wrong?

How can a machine judge situation based on real-time scenarios the way humans do?

I believe they cannot. Period.

They say that these robots are just supplementary machines to help the human journalist spread information faster. At present they only update harmless news which requires no analysis. Well, what next? The next thing you know, computers will be compiling full page reports on happenings. Will the human element be taken out of the equation entirely? I probably think so.

Maybe I’m being paranoid and maybe I’m just worried that I may not get a job when I finish communication school, but is this justified? Computers dishing out analysis that require the human mind and conscience to do the job?

I think not.

Religion as a Brand

It was at a recent summit which I attended that I had a speaker mentioning that religion was rather like a ‘brand’ of the company God Ltd. He elaborated a little, not to inform or influence or hurt the public’s sentiments in any way, but to get us thinking about the same.

Image Courtesy: Google Images.

I admit, I for one was stumped when he first mentioned this metaphorical example but when I pondered over the subject, I did indeed realize that his words might have been true in a way. The various religions indeed are all different paths to the Almighty, the power in the heavens, Bhagwaan, Allah, the All Father, the Everlasting Flame and so on and so forth. That power may have different names but I like to believe that everything humankind worships is one single entity morphed into different forms by human imagination through time and culture.

Hence, by that logic of mine, different religions do seem to be the brands of a single corporation operating at different places according to one’s folklore and collective histories.

As I gave more thought to this theory, the more intrigued I got, even more so when I actually managed to pinpoint some things that had been said at the summit. There are parts of brands that are irrevocably linked with it, and the same seemed to be the pattern with religions. Here are some of them:

Logo:

Each religion seems to have its own logo. If the religion does not have a definitive one, individual deities certainly seem to do. In case of a monotheistic religion, the one deity also seems to be represented by a certain symbol that can, in my view, be considered a logo.

Jingles:

Each religion has its set of jingles if not one. These jingles may vary over time and language and across cultures if the religion is widespread, however, they do exist. They are also known as hymns and bhajans. It sometimes happen that these jingles may closely resemble those from other religions but that only seems to happen if two or more religions are interspersed within a common population.

Colour Schemes:

Each religion also does seem to have its own colour scheme, the colour worn by those who serve the deity. Of course, these are also bound to variation over time, space and cultural orientation. But still, a common colour scheme is usually apparent in organized religions, may they be large or small. It would be partial to name the colours of only a few religions, so abstaining would be the best option.

Brand Ambassadors:

Almost all religions have brand ambassadors in the form of prophets; the messenger who interprets the works of their deity and pushes everyone along to promote their religion as one does a brand. They have usually traveled places, helped people and persuaded people to follow their brand of God in the past, that’s where I draw my reference from.

Hence, I’ve come to accept the fact that religions are in fact different brands enticing people to choose their particular road to eternal salvation. That does not of course mean that any brand is better than the others. This post has not been written to hurt the religious sentiments of people of any religion. It’s also not to offend the Lord, obviously. It is just a harmless observation on situations presented in and around us. This post is a work of fiction and is supposed to be treated in the humorous way in which it was written.

Who the Hell is THAT?

In the modern world, with the ideas of a ‘global village’ and ‘the world is a family’ scheme of things, we make many friends. Some instantaneous, some in hesitant steps, some with caution and some that are best kept a hand’s length away. However, connections are made every day and every hour possibly, in the life of a person, because though one cannot speak for the entire world, a large enough part of its population is connected to the internet today, thus voluntarily or involuntarily becoming part of a global endeavour to better the human civilization and build a tight web in order that we may not be nations in the future, but a World.

Taking what is explained above in macro and putting it in a scale that becomes inclusive in the bigger scheme of things, we come to social networking. And out of the many social networking sites, there is one that has stood out in this decade and much of the previous one. That small step giant leap was the development of Facebook as a tool or means to reach the above mentioned destination, and as they say, ‘the journey is more important…’

Image Courtesy: Google Images.

One makes so many contacts on Facebook. Friends, acquaintances, friends of friends, visitors, relatives, teachers, students, colleagues, seniors, juniors, drinking partners, business associates and even complete strangers are added to people’s accounts every day. It serves the basic human need to be connected and be recognized. The need to know people everywhere and to be pleased in the knowledge that others, in various places, know them.

Then there is the need for communication. To be able to communicate with people, regardless of distance, time and availability; albeit not without an internet connection. The need for rapid, cheap and easy communication is facilitated by it.

There is also a requirement for short-term connections. A need wherein two or more people need to stay connected for a certain amount of time after which they go their separate ways, sometimes without even a single glance backwards. It is this that is the crux of what is to come next.

I've observed, through personal experience that it so happens that after a while, maybe a year or two on Facebook, when one goes through their friends list, they find that there are people that they don’t know. People that they have no memory of and who are just there, God knows how. Actually, they did know that person once, but with passing time, the memory of that person has either become too hazy or has been wiped out totally. This is of course taking into consideration only those who do not keep adding people indiscriminately for the heck of it.

There have been times, when I've gone through my friends list (I do that every six months) and found at least five or more people who I recollected only faintly or who I didn't remember having a decent conversation with, even virtually for over a year.

And sometimes, I'm just like,

“Who the Hell is THAT?”

Image Courtesy: Google Images.