Life has changed and how! Earlier I used to follow the stock market, do my housework, chat up friends on the phone and run my classes, all very comfortably. But ever since I got onto Facebook, the day runs into the night, no chores get done, my attention on stocks has never been so lackadaisical…And my husband tells everybody who calls,” Let me check if she can take the call. She is busy ‘liking’ a status or photo on Facebook!! He accuses me of now ‘being married to Facebook’!
Yes, let us face it! Facebook can be quite an addiction. The more friends you have, the more time you are riveted to it! All my waking hours are spent thanking, commenting on comments that a photo or status I posted in the wee hours, has gathered. It is however, a great feeling of connect. When I went on a trip to Europe recently, I kept sharing my experiences there with all my friends back home and they simply loved it. I took them through four countries with me, showing them the palaces I visited, the natural beauty of Switzerland, the buildings of Prague, the view from atop the Eiffel Tower etc. Their responses were so delightful, it made the effort worthwhile. Where else can you post a picture and within seconds get a response? No need to write formal mails, locate the mail id and hit the ‘send’ button. A click of the mouse does it all.
The joy of the birth of a young one can be shared instantly with all friends in a trice. Compliments, congratulations, pour in from across the globe. From Toronto to Tirunelveli, everybody hears of the glad tidings! Such a great feeling to hear from those whom you had long given up for lost! The flip side is that some well-meaning old relative or a mischievous cousin will upload your photo taken eons ago, as a bouncy baby at your cross-eyed best, with the message, “thank God the baby has taken after his maternal grandparent!” The loss of a fond one can be shared with friends, who rally around, offer support and with their sincere condolences, help you cope with the loss. What I do find weird many a time is the number of ‘likes’ the very sad post gets! Now come on, what did the poor guy do to you that you are mighty glad to be rid of him! And he cannot even hit back at you…grossly unfair, hitting below the belt kind of thing! Sometimes, methinks, Facebook users are just itching to hit the ‘like’ button. no matter what!
Then there are these photographs…my nubile girl students, whose ever vigilant mothers are also on the same Facebook, love to post tantalizing photos of theirs! The face almost covered by strands of hair gets about 250’likes’.The girl in question is over the moon as half the’ likes’ are from her college ‘groovy’ set! But try as I will, I cannot see anything beyond a bit of the ear and a nose to recognize her from! No Mona Lisa smile either. ..so what are they recognizing and liking I wonder! For all they know, it could be the bandit queen’s picture!
I find it extremely hilarious when an indulgent hubby posts a picture of a rose and wishes his wife,” Happy Birthday to my dear loving wife..” .And this when they stay under the same roof! Surely it is easier and more personal to wish her with a hug in the privacy of the home than shout himself hoarse from the rooftop!! The loving bibi ,not to be left behind, will immediately, probably form the same BB or laptop will coo, :Thank you dear loving hubby.. What would I do without you”, etc etc etc ! Well, well, that is face book for you!
There are some eager housewives who use face book to garner recipes to tickle the taste buds of their better halves. How do I make this dish asks the eager learner. Within seconds fifty responses are posted. The men (what are they doing on face book when they only seem to have derisive things to say about it!) promptly post jokes about the dish or some wisecracks about how it did not turn out in their kitchen (read wife’s kitchen).The women, on the other hand, take their adviser role most seriously. They begin by telling her which deity to invoke, where to buy the ingredients (each has a store she swears by!) and the actual method. As many advisers as there are, that many recipes. The confused soul reaches out to her mother across the seas. She does make it, successfully at that, without any the help from the self-appointed advisers. But does she eat it or feed the family? No. She proceeds to decorate the dish, clean up the surroundings, some window-dressing, before photographing it while the hubby drools on impatiently and the family pet tries to put a paw into it! Photo taken, it has to be uploaded for the whole world to marvel at and ‘like’! Only after that is the treat offered to the dejected hubby! And everyone who comments wants to know where she lives and whether they can drop in for a bite! Some virtual world this!
Then there is the ‘graduation” photo which gets any number of likes and comments. Did you say graduation? Yes. Three year old Chintu has ‘graduated’ from the ‘Little Flower Nursery’!! All the fond aunts and uncles swoop down on the page,to plant a kiss and say ‘sho cutieeee’, words that are unique to face book!
So who says face book is a waste of time? My vocabulary has expanded, so has my waist, for all the hours of sitting at the laptop ‘liking’ everything under the sun. I have a huge friend circle, which remembers to wish me on my birthday even when the dear hubby forgets all about it! I am flooded with cakes and candles,flowers and chocolates,all virtual! But gifts are gifts,so what if they are virtual! It keeps you so busy, you have no time to get depressed!. When your ‘like’ able friends are around you why do you need a shrink? The world couldn't be better or happier,believe me and do not forget to 'like' me.
