Facebook is always in the news these days - from turning five years old to its members starting a virtual rebellion that forced the site to abandon its modified usage terms. And now too much Facebooking, say scientists, is bad for your health! According to them, people are socialising so much with their friends and neighbours online that they aren’t moving their ass and opening the door and stepping out for some real interaction. I totally disagree!
Facebook is my greatest source of entertainment. All I’ve to do is log on and read all the status updates of my friends. Some, having taken the question “What are you doing right now?” quite literally, pour their hearts out: “XYZ is having a shower and contemplating on what to wear for a trip to the medical shop to buy Hajmola for relief from a stomach upset caused by last night’s dinner of aloo paratha with palak paneer!” Those who can hook up with Facebook from their Blackberrys gives you traffic updates: “XYZ is stuck in a traffic jam at Haji Ali and ogling at a Bipasha Basu look-alike in a Ford Ikon!” Of course, I also get to see pictures of birthday parties where this friend was not invited! I spy on friends writing on each other’s ‘wall’ to meet for coffee without informing this friend! I also get to admire the changed profile picture of a friend who’s switched his amateur nerdy snap for a Gautam Rajadhyaksha soft focus.
All this is apart from those who will inform you about their jet-setting lifestyle (“XYZ is off to New York and then Japan with a stopover at London!”), their philosophical state of mind (“XYZ is wondering if life is a half-boiled egg!”)and their social status (“XYZ is now in a relationship… (two weeks later) is now married… (two months later) is now single!”).
I became a Facebooker out of sheer curiosity following a barrage of invitations on my email. So far I’ve a little over 200 friends, which is quite below average by social networking standards. But it’s pretty impressive for someone as anti-social as me, considering many of those friends I don’t even know personally, professionally or otherwise! But, like an Orwellian Big Brother, I watch over their every move. It’s how I combat the stress and drudgery of daily life and stay mentally fit. For the rest, I go to the gym!
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