The computer age has brought along with itself a bevy of institutions that the gen X is invariably a member of. The new institutions are respectfully named Orkut, Facebook and Twitter. And each member of the current generation Owes his allegiance to one of these. Though there are a host of other such 'institutions' that have sprung up too, these continue to be the most puritan and sacrosanct.We have indeed entered the world, where the buzz word is 'social networking'.
Whether if it is the curse of the modern age or a boon remains highly disputable.
Supporters of social networking assert that it has indeed help bridge gaps created by long distance and helps them keep in touch with their loved ones who may stay continents apart. Today pictures,messages and other forms of multimedia are all shared on such sites. It has created such a buzz that even those belonging to previous generations see reason to join the social networking brigade. So be it your childhood chum you have lost touch with or a distant relative,they can all be reconnected online and your relationship rekindled with the click of a button. In today's era where we al! work under stiff time constraints,maintaining relationships indeed seems to be easier said than done. social networking has eased the process as people chat, tweet and share pictures while commuting.
However its adversaries have a strong argument against the institutionalization of social networking too.What is scary is strong the substitution of real socialization and communication with virtual communication. While at once it was seen as a tool that could either promote or disintegrate actual communication. today it seems to be replacing it. People claim to have 500plus 'friends on such sites, and may choose to ignore most of them in person. Another fear is what is coming to be termed as status anxiety syndrome',with many teenagers being constantly anxious about updating their profile pictures and statuses online. This has taken a toll on quite a few of their relationships for they are perpetually distracted with what is happening online.There are umpteen of cases of people who have been terribly beguiled by the crooks they befriend online. May have been slashed over by the media to make the masses aware about this phenomenon and be careful about the personal information they disclose.
Thus it is difficult to reach at a definite consensus stating whether social networking is a boon or a curse. It completely depends on what we make of it. Anything in excess can become a menace,and this is true for social networking too. However if it used proficiently as a device to maintain healthy relationships and facilitate meetings out of the 'chatroom',we surely are using technology to the best of our advantage.
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