In a world that is fast shrinking, people are becoming farther and farther away. It is a conundrum that I fail to understand.
The World has become one in more ways than one. The diversity in culture, language, attires, festivals, food, music and literature is all coming to an end. We are building uniformity in every sense. Uniformity in abilities, in culture, in knowledge, in thought processes, in social structures, in amenities, in income groups and in living conditions. Happenings across the world are at our finger tips with the advent of technology. These are developments with their own brighter and darker sides... each one too complex to delineate from the others.
But despite so much connectivity and homogeneity, each man is an island today connected to the others through nothing but the World wide web. He is a rootless being as he is capable of going to any part of the world and feeling at home. Or perhaps, he never finds his true home! His life is nomadic, adrift with the tides of time and development.
He spends his days hooked onto the internet and his gadgetry updating his status and whereabouts ever so often... People like me end up writing about their thoughts and ideas on a public platform than just talking... :-)
This is something I fail to grasp. Despite the increasing connectivity on the internet, there is a sense of growing disconnect between people.
People are happy chatting over the internet and the phone than in person. It seems easy to laze around watching TV than to go for a social activity. Social gatherings have become a thing to endure than really a celebration that they once were. People are unable to sit with company without fidgeting with their PDA to update their status message or their blog. Be it a simple dinner, a pleasant sight or a wedding, we waste no time in sharing it with others. There is a need to connect with people but there is also a fear to really connect.
And what happens is that eventually, we end up connecting anonymously over the World Wide Web.
Why ?
Why are we letting this happen ? Why are our social structures disintegrating ? Is it the rapid pace of development which is pulling apart people and generations faster than they can come together. Why is there this constant need to stay in touch but still a little aloof, a little away ? Is our fear over powering our social nature ? What are we trying to achieve this way ?
Beats me...
The World has become one in more ways than one. The diversity in culture, language, attires, festivals, food, music and literature is all coming to an end. We are building uniformity in every sense. Uniformity in abilities, in culture, in knowledge, in thought processes, in social structures, in amenities, in income groups and in living conditions. Happenings across the world are at our finger tips with the advent of technology. These are developments with their own brighter and darker sides... each one too complex to delineate from the others.
But despite so much connectivity and homogeneity, each man is an island today connected to the others through nothing but the World wide web. He is a rootless being as he is capable of going to any part of the world and feeling at home. Or perhaps, he never finds his true home! His life is nomadic, adrift with the tides of time and development.
He spends his days hooked onto the internet and his gadgetry updating his status and whereabouts ever so often... People like me end up writing about their thoughts and ideas on a public platform than just talking... :-)
This is something I fail to grasp. Despite the increasing connectivity on the internet, there is a sense of growing disconnect between people.
People are happy chatting over the internet and the phone than in person. It seems easy to laze around watching TV than to go for a social activity. Social gatherings have become a thing to endure than really a celebration that they once were. People are unable to sit with company without fidgeting with their PDA to update their status message or their blog. Be it a simple dinner, a pleasant sight or a wedding, we waste no time in sharing it with others. There is a need to connect with people but there is also a fear to really connect.
And what happens is that eventually, we end up connecting anonymously over the World Wide Web.
Why ?
Why are we letting this happen ? Why are our social structures disintegrating ? Is it the rapid pace of development which is pulling apart people and generations faster than they can come together. Why is there this constant need to stay in touch but still a little aloof, a little away ? Is our fear over powering our social nature ? What are we trying to achieve this way ?
Beats me...
Facebook, Twitter, etc only screw things up more. Updating status is supposed to be meant as a way to help keep in touch; however, it has degenerated into self-promotion.
ReplyDeleteI like being alone. People should be taught how to do that. With that, a sense of containment will hopefully come in. An offspring of that, I hope, will be a genuine intention to connect. What I mean to say is cutting out the superficial "...had a lovely walk in the wonderful weather..." statuses and forcing people to be alone might give rise to genuine interactions. Now I am confused about what I am saying :P
I think I get a feel for what you are saying but honestly I find it difficult to understand... this phenomenon to connect but still stay aloof... I have no problem with simple, every day status messages if from friends and so when I have friends on facebook, its a small number, not the hundreds and thousands that some people have... then i am sure it becomes a pain...
ReplyDeleteI like staying alone but i tell you, company - and good company at that, can make a lot of difference too... perspectives, questions and thoughts, they come through unanticipated doors and means... and people are vehicles for these a lot of times...
So, I interact with a few people but elope with myself every now and then too... ;)