What with all the emerging of networking sites, it is so hard to picture not being able to keep in touch with everyone around the globe. Suddenly everyone was just around the corner or just a tweet or poke away.
When Friendster (FS) emerged in 2003, I was one of those who got hooked but had to close my first account before it even reached its first year – to get away from unwanted lurkers. Yes, back then I was hounded non-stop by unwanted online visitors. But as soon as I tried to shrug my pesky online visitors, I created another FS account for the most mundane of reasons – I wanted to be a part of an online community.
Soon, there was Myspace – which I was not too keen about. The interface, at least for me, was quite a handful. I was pretty much content with my FS account and the Tabulas account I was maintaining for my blogs back then. For a while, it was cool to be a part of such networking sites. When you do not even have to leave the comforts of your home or workplace and you can blab frenziedly with your friends who do not share the same time zone as yours.
One of my very good friends since 3rd grade is such a big fan of the Internet and all the good and evil attached to it. Her life, as she puts it, revolves mostly around the WWW. She could not imagine life without a Wi-fi. REALLY. Imagine how horrified she was when she went hiking and there’s no Internet. She was mortified! She is the same person who fervently asks me to create a Twitter account. She nudged me non-stop that I once published my FB status as “to tweet or not to tweet”.
Tweet – Tweet
Now, out of curiosity I did check out what this Twitter has to offer. Minus the really fancy photo uploading, it is a microblogging-networking site. Such tweets (or posts) can only accommodate 140 characters – thus, microblogging. It seemed a pretty nice social networking site (tempting enough that you get to read Hollywood celebs’ tweets) but what turned me off is that – there are just so many information that I don’t have to know. I mean, how many people would actually care about what you ate for lunch or where you will hang out tonight? Did I say, for some reason I find this Twitter scary too - simply because it makes stalking a lot easier.
I understand that many people would probably want to be heard, to have their “own” life – even if it is just online but seriously, giving out too much information online paves way for online felony.
During my peak of addiction to the WWW, I was once like that. I blogged, updated my online accounts every so often, read other people’s blogs and joined several online fora. My constant solace back then when loonies hound me, I would immediately go online and surf with so much gusto, chat until wee hours and talk using Skype. Only to be hounded by people who cannot seem to find their own niche online.
Slowing Down
Happily, (or sadly) that seemingly online compulsion started to slow down late last year - I am blogging less, don’t really care if my online accounts are up to date and yes, I don’t read other people’s blogs anymore – okay, maybe very, very few ones lang.
I am not sure if I am attributing this to me almost turning 26 in a couple of months or simply because I am just really an old fashioned soul.
I miss those days when I would feverishly wait for those handwritten letters sent by my friends (and suitors), when I would nudge my parents non stop to mail those letters I have lovingly written, when I could not wait to see my friends – hear them laugh at my blunders and hilarious stories and vice versa, when I longed to be hugged and not just some sheer emoticons, when my intentions will not be judged merely because it was sent through text.
Simply put, I just miss those old days and ways.
To tweet or not to tweet? For now, NOT to tweet.
