Mind and social networking!

Social networking has come to stay, at least for the present, amidst us. We witness, participate and contribute to various information, exchange and share cultural preferences and performances and of course unwittingly reveal our true and hidden character to the world. I carry my smart phone and use it the best, as often, posting my original thoughts, poems and photos. I also forward jokes; I am good at enjoying, but not remembering them. I enjoy studying characters every moment and Facebook media is no exempt.

Celebrities are possessive about their wall and confine to their own posts, rarely ever commenting on anyone else’s postings. There are several celebrity friends of mine, very few who standout to be different. The least aberration and you can get blocked. More than blocking, the threat of blocking gives many a sense of glee and satisfaction. Tagging without permission, mentioning their names with a hash tag prefix could end your connection. They may be watching you, or your posts, but could be shy of commenting, even if the posts fall within their area of main interest like politics, arts or literature.

The literary heavies would post and further respond to the comments on their posts as well. Their walls are like post boxes. You can drop, but cannot retrieve anything ordinarily. They would love to tear you publicly for even some simple grammatical errors. One can wonder of the fate of dissenters then! I often wonder, what would have happened to the ego of the above two kinds egos, had they not found a platform like Facebook to mingle with commoners?

There are a few who would post only humor and of particular kind. It could be Aunty acid, cartoons or Simpsons. Their choice of humor could reveal a bit of their traits, either militant or simplistic, plain fun loving or sad from the heart.

There are a few ‘know-all’ kinds, posting everything; on economy, war, culture, religion, ancient history, environment or apocalypse. These kinds of people work hard, do research and keep inundating with their posts. I feel their knowledge has not been properly recognized and therefore they could be secretly suffering in seeking a large number of people approving their posts.

The chain-letter types are lesser seen these days, pushing for typing Amen and a chosen number to get all the wealth, or to enjoy all prosperity, with a shortcut to heaven or Sai baba’s feet. The difficult are the ones who believe that medical science is all humbug. They will suggest from guavas to avocados for all ailments, from cold to cancer. Some have not even spared the fiber from the banana skins inner side!

The political ones are queer. They are divided into two groups, Modi opponents and Modi supporters. Everything the one group views as communal, the other retorts as nationalism. Patriotism often transforms to duel between communities. The other group is pro or anti US. The anti US is also anti Pepsi, anti Coke, anti Monsanto, anti McDonald etc. They can bombard you with excellent mined data to support, rendering you sleepless as whatever could happen to the world without all these.

There are a few secretive types, stalkers, keeping a low profile. A few likes and small comments to begin with and then they start seeking personal details to disturb. I had a funny experience, which I shared with the friend who introduced me and who was aghast and quickly followed me in blocking the culprit.

The press of ‘likes,’ for a few is like rejuvenating tonic, anti-depressant and confidence booster, though such people suffer from any minimal slight too. For the happy ones, it is an excellent medium to interact, learn, debate and enrich their knowledge. Keen observance of one’s posts and their likes and dislikes would reveal if they are egoists, feminists, or suffering from any deficient social standing. Enjoy social networking by being responsible.

Oh, and there are poets!

Sampath Kumar
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