Gone are the days when people used letters for communication and verbal chatting to express themselves! Advanced technology has made it possible for most individuals to fulfill almost all their needs and much more, not having to leave their seats for a single second. Although the world-wide web or internet has given us the ability to access everything online, it has forced a colossal number of folks to retract into their own virtual shells. So is this really a boon or a curse?
Although most people would be convinced that the net has made life more efficient and given in our hands a tool to effortlessly experience life on a higher plane, can we really call this 'life'? While you might rightly argue that putting the globe at an arm's length has been a major achievement for the human intellect, hasn't this prevented many of us from experiencing the real world like we otherwise would have? That's a tough nut to crack, whose answer is always more subjective than objective.
Taking a look at the brighter side, the internet has of course enabled the sharing of knowledge at a mind-boggling rate. Downloaded P.D.F files serve our purpose better, saving valuable time and energy needed to search the market for actual books. Online bank transactions are just a click away, without having to go through any paperwork. E-mail has facilitated the transfer of important documents instantaneously! Even shopping has become child's play with companies like Flipkart and eBay offering a myriad of products and excellent cash-on-delivery services, at jaw dropping offers which no local retailer could ever hope to match. And last but not the least, blogging and social networking sites have helped us to create an online entity for ourselves, thus expanding our domain limitlessly!
While all this is fine and dandy doesn't the above scenario bare an eerie resemblance to the Matrix movies? Today, whenever we are acquainted to someone, what is the first thing we do to know that person better? Have an hour-long discussion with each other? No! I bet most of us would just look him up on Google and form an image of him without any words exchanged, purely based on his profile on sites like Facebook, Twitter, Bloggers, WordPress and YouTube! The line between our physical being and online characters has been blurred beyond recognition, even though a wide disparity might exist between the two in some cases.
But I guess at the end of the day it all boils down to a matter of personal choice. Some people, like myself, prefer to use their online entities as an extension of their real lives, while others might use theirs just for amusement or entertainment, many a times creating fake profiles on sites they hardly ever visit. Personally, I have pondered over this issue endlessly and even now, as I'm writing this article, I'm forced to ask myself why I bother jotting down my thoughts and experiences in this very blog, instead of trying to get some of them published in a tabloid or magazine... I guess the hard copy, with all its logistical restraints, has lost its significance in the modern day!
Nonetheless, the advantages of the internet seem to far outweigh the risks which include authenticity, privacy and security issues other than playing a hand in pressing the current generation to peer into a small LCD screen all day long. The growing number of people across the world turning to the web for everything from business to recreation, or may be just as a way out of the daily moil are living proof of the success of this technology. As for me, I am not as obsessed about my virtual life as I used to be a few years back, mainly owing to time constraints and a realization of having done nearly everything that one is expected to do online! After finishing the busiest semester ever, I'm enjoying some quality time at my humble abode with friends and family, setting the stage for overcoming future challenges. Nowadays, I much prefer putting my real life to some good use, and I must say living off the grid feels much more rewarding!...
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| Relishing life offline at Inorbit Mall, Pune |
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