SOCIAL NETWORKS AND THEIR WORTH

Today we may boost about the social networking sites like Facebook, my space, Orkut, etc have done a remarkable work in connecting us socially. These sites provide an online platform to share our views and feelings. They help us to know what is going on in our society. I do not know to what extent they help us in communicating socially or are they really worth of the importance they have in our daily life. I, too, have a profile on these websites. Till yesterday I to believe that they are a good platform which makes us aware of our surrounding from the comfort of our home but I was wrong. Just like others I also spend 2-3 hours daily on these websites giving my opinion on social and personal issue, discussing them with other members of the community but I was not having any idea about my next door neighbor. Yesterday the only child in their family died in the morning and surprisingly I was aware of this incident till late in the evening though I was very aware of the fact 3 BJP leaders were caught red handed while watching a blue movie clip, that a college festival party turned up in to a rave party, that U.S is trying to woo Pakistan as usual, that Sahara has withdrawn itself as the sponsor of Indian cricket team and many such other news. I knew what happened in the world that morning but does not have a clue what happened to my next door family.  I am not blaming social networking sites for this as it is not their fault. They are here to provide a social platform and do business and that they are doing very well. The fault lies within ourselves. Today young generation is mugging internet to such an extent that they do not time for their own family members so how could one accept that they will be having any information about their neighbors. We have restricted our social life within the network of online networking. We are not giving any importance in meeting people who live in our society regularly. Only 10% of the total individual knew their society and surroundings very well. There is only handful of human beings who knew each and every individual living within the radius of 1 km. From their place and still we keep on barking that we are socially very active. If you do not know what is happening in your neighborhood then what is point in gathering information about the global news. Today’s generation thinks that it is much easy and convenient for use online social networking rather than meeting them in person. The social networking sites have penetrated our life so deep that we do not have any time to interact with others. I do not have grudge against the networking sites as they are here to earn money and they are doing it very well. The fault lies within us. We are obsessed with the sites and it feels like as if they have an importance equivalent to the oxygen in our life. As it is said that excess of everything is bad, no matter how good the thing is. Therefore I would say that people must come out of their closet. They should draw a line between their personal space and their social life. The incident makes me think over the authenticity of my social activities. It clearly shows me that how social I am. I am not asking you to stop social networking over the internet but I would ask you to reorganize your priorities between the real social network and the virtual social network. Many may argue me that they do not have enough time to interact with others personally due to their hectic schedule therefore they are bind to rely completely on these sites for communicating with others. Please do correct me if I am wrong. Is not it is true that these same people have 3-4 hours in their so called hectic schedule for the social network? Yet they complain of not having enough time. It is ridiculous and the truth is that we always have time for people in the society but we use it only when we have some work from them otherwise they are like strangers to us. A well maintained and interacting society always leads to corps of well educated and disciplined individual. Interacting within the not only helps us in gaining mental peace but it also helps our children to learn how to contribute, adjust, sacrifice which indeed helps in their better development. Can you're so called online social network incorporates these qualities to the young generation? The answer will be cent percent NO, without any doubts but still we are running behind the virtual social network and neglecting the real one. It is time to wake up before it’s too late to recover anything because I do not think if we will wait any longer then there would not be much to recover.