Thursday, 14 March 2013

On Virtual Socialization

I wil c ya l8r...nice to meet ya...long time no c...wr the heck hv u bin....
 
This cool lingo being spoken (read scribbled) by every other wannabe is the new way to be spotted amongst hip-hop bunch of dudes and dudettes. Orkut, Friendster, Hi5, Facebook, and MySpace-do these names sound familiar to you? These are examples of social networking sites. Such sites allow people to make new friends, send messages, share photos, etc. In recent times, these sites have become very popular amongst old and young alike the world over. Rather than going out in the sun, they would happily dole out a couple of hours gawking on the computer screens and chatting with the friends and the strangers alike. Most of the people count heavily on the social networking sites as a mere connection that binds them to the world. When the society is undergoing transformation with every passing moment, it is more than inevitable that our routines and customs are too affected by the winds of change. The beginning of this millennium has been witnessing major technological advancements and that tiny mobile phone tucked in your hand is the beau ideal.
 
With the social networking sites like Orkut, Facebook, AOL becoming the staple of the young breed, socialization has altogether assumed a new meaning. Be it a school going chirpy kid or a professional, everybody counts upon these social networking sites to meet their social needs. Only few years' back, you would have gladly counted reading, playing, and dancing as one of the favorite pastimes. Don't retreat to that distant heaven if one of these days, someone proudly announces or kutting to be his/hers. This is the new buzzword that has completely changed the face of socialization for all times to come.
 
Earlier people dropped at each other's place out of social courtesy and to spend some quality time among their peers. With the recent metamorphosis in the social fabric and means of reaching out, all your near n dear ones are just a click away with such immensely popular social networking portals. Indeed, the world has shrunk into a small place. The netizens fix the virtual appointments on the net, make new friends, join communities, and share their opinions. It has become the hottest and ultimate destination to fall in love across barriers and to create life-long ties. These social networking sites offers you a world of fantasies and reality bites packed spruced up to your tastes.
 
But along haunts the age-old hearsay, every coin has two sides to it. Technology has its own boons and horrifying tales to dictate. Like every other technological gizmos, social networking sites too demands a dose of alertness on the part of the users. There is no dearth of people who use such portals with fake identities. People from the four corners of the world can view social networking sites like Orkut, MySpace and Facebook and a bit of carelessness with the photos and the information you post can land you in deep waters. Although, you can seek like-minded individuals and catch up with your online buddies but you need to be well aware of the potential danger of revealing too much information on your profile.
 
Also keep away from the hatred communities doing the rounds on such portals. Always bear in mind that the entertainment should have a constructive element rather than proving to be lump in your thought process. If you are outrageously taken with these portals, don't throw caution to the winds and follow everything blindly. The cyber crime is at an all time high and such criminals are always on the lookout for an easily entrapped scapegoat and you can be the possible victim. Next time you give out the personal details on a network, ensure the right identity of the other person. Remember, sometimes trusting a stranger can be life threatening. A bit of extra care will make your virtual world safe from the possible perils of the criminal's treacherous plots.

No comments:

Post a Comment