Stop TWEETING, start LIVING!!

My smart phone just snoozed to signal a new notification on Facebook while the Whatsapp icon is asking me to check the latest message. I still have to accept some invitations on LinkedIn and Asmallworld. While I am trying to get a grip on how to keep up with the hundreds of friends I am connected to, my blackberry is yelling desperately to be picked up to check some emails. I am doing this while I have couple of tabs open on my browser on my tablet and of course, many other applications opened in the background, mostly flashing very frequently for some sort of updates. The beep, snooze, flashing just would not stop. God, why am I so popular. Am I really or people have started living in this digital world where everyone feels like a biggest socialite, where everything is connected with 3 degrees of separation and when we are all connected to each other with 1s and 0s. It is not important of how well you know someone but after initial introduction it is very important to connect on Facebook. Even my 10 year old nephew has about 100 friends, meaning he is making a new friend every month since he was born.

The growing usage of social networking map summarizes the problem at hand (http://socialmediagraphics.posterous.com/the-growth-of-social-media)

We are not far from the day when we will start trading friends and connections online because the social status of an individual would be determined by the sheer number of connections on social networking sites.

People are now so busy in their digital world that they have stopped communicating face-to-face. Even when someone wants to speak to his colleague sitting next to him, he would send a message that makes a world trip hopping through various sea cables and satellites before reaching the colleague. People feel a strong urge to know every minute about their friend’s status. I think the status of most FB users should be “I’m not addicted to Facebook. I only use it when I have time: lunch time, break time, bed time, off time, this time, that time, any time, all the time.”

People forget to enjoy a single moment of their life because they are busy declaring to the world about the very moment that they lost in the digital odyssey.  Social networks are trying to mimic every sentiment, every gesture, every act that human beings are capable of, but do you really think you can convey your true emotions digitally? Can you really express the sadness of lonely eyes or the jubilation of achieving something in life or the love you feel for someone or the even a simple hug that can melt the heart away? The charm of oral communication is that you do not have a chance to hit backspace.

Various research studies concluded that social networking has led to a new way of communication, not only with the newly formed friendships but also with their existing friends and relationships. This new form of communication lacks social skills and effective verbal interaction.


Lack of communication is cited a common problem in relationships, team sports and even organizations. The lack of this key skill is only growing with the habit of texting. Of course, the entrepreneurial minds have already started promoting various books and courses on “Art of communicating online”, which also illustrates the growth of cyber communication.

We are wasting hours (a study concluded that people spend on average 6 hours a day on social networking sites) tracking people that we barely know but do not take few minutes to sit down and talk to our family and friends. Most dinner tables are now occupied with smart-phones and tablets. I am sure that there are many positive effects of social networking and it enriches our lives in many ways but the cons far outweigh pros at the moment.

People are said to be social animals, but I guess we have dropped the word social in our life.