Social with Social Media
The only generation which probably is saved to an extent from the influence of excessive social media exposure is one / two generation above (parents for some/grand parents to others) The reason I say probably is not because they don't want to be part of it,its their physical limitations which are preventing them from being hooked on to it..
Is getting this exposure making us more social or is it just a fallacy?
I will compare the social habits of 3 generations (My parents, Myself & my children) in this post and will let you decide for yourself the answer..
70s & 80s--I was born & brought up by middle class parents with middle class values in a typical punjabi home (Punjab is a northern state in India) ..When my parents started their careers,they did not have a phone or a TV set for entertainment..I remember my dad using the radio for getting updates on the cricket commentary..One of our neighbours were more affluent then others because they had a rotary phone at the time. Their number was used by all for communication by the neighbours relatives for passing on all kinds of information---good, bad, ugly!! Our affluent neighbours also had a fiat car at the time ..It was the only car & was another "Shared Service" like the phone
When my parents got their first black & white TV , it was a big news in the entire neighbourhood..I remember my mom sending a box of 4 laddoos (Indian candies) to everyone in the neighbourhood.The next big ticket item was our 2nd hand car (an ambassador)..I remember me & my friends giving a push to start it during winters..Honestly it was fun!!I learnt driving on my ambassador..Our car also became a talk of the neighbourhood because at some point in time someone was involved in pushing it to start it !!!
The next big social news in not just the neighbourhood but the entire family was when my dad got his first & only foreign assignment .He went to UK for about 3 months with at least a dozen references of people (he could meet & socailize with over weekends) from not just the immediate family but their 2nd/3rd cousins who had settled in UK..The day my dad was to board his flight, my mom was in the kitchen the whole day cooking for throng of visitors who had come to say " Bon Voyage"..At least 4 people were helping him pack his suitcase & I don't even remember , the number of times it was weighed to ensure it was not over weight.
90s & 2000-- By this time we had a Digital phone, coloured TV set & a new Maruti Car..My communication with my friends was over phone initially..Whenever we had to meet at some common location, we had to be sure about the exact place & time of meeting as we had no cell phones for real time communication...If any one of us did not reach in time, all other would wait patiently till he arrived. In case somebody got exceptionally late,one of us would walk up to the Public Call Office (PCO) & call up his home to know the status.We as friends had a lot of information to share with each other when we met..Our calls to each other were limited as each call was precious..
I remember when I first went abroad, I had a few selected visitors at home..My wife was not in the kitchen all day for cateering to the throng of visitors...From my second visit onwards ..used to get a few phones on the day I was boarding the flight..
Present-- Some of the present day tools of kids are Apple & Amazon products (iPhone,iPad, Kindle etc)..Apps such as Facebook, Whatsapp etc have made communicaton real time..When friends meet they have hardly anything new to share..The last update was just a few minutes back..When my daughter went for her Europe trip,all her friends had the information about her visit,the moment her tickets were books thanks to her status update on Facebook & on the whatsapp chat..
Hope you all got a perspective on what I was trying to communicate..Nothing good or bad but just a food for thought..
Post A Comment:
0 comments: