Why this is not a great time to be alive

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A few months ago, I wrote about why these are the best times to live in. But as I delved deeper into this, I realised that everything has a good and a bad side. And nothing can escape this rule of nature. Here is why I feel the times aren't that good either:

Information download is at an all time high

There are several choices to everything. Social media numbers are themselves staggering. Be it social media options, review sites, online shopping sites and apps, travel portals, scheduling apps and then reviews of everything that has already been reviewed. We are so inundated with so much information that it's just too much! It is harder than ever to convert information into knowledge or gain insights from all the fast paced information thrown at us. 

Everyone is an entrepreneur

While the times are conducive to being anything you want to, I feel that the start up space is getting too crowded. Every second person is an entrepreneur. The very freedom for anyone to start what you like is going against credibility and originality. I realised this when I was hunting for someone to manage my social media. Too many names, too many people offering the same services - no way to figure out the real experts. I had to go for the only way possible - spend money and see if it is worth it. It wasn't! 

'Unique' is a rare commodity

Do you blog? So do a million others. Are you an entrepreneur? So is your 20 yr old neighbour who works out of his garage. Are you an independent rock band? Another one will form in 2 minutes with 5 people from a college you never even heard of. There are more avenues to get you noticed but you aren’t unique. Anything that you can think of is more likely already not just explored but done to death. And attempts to flog the dead horse give rise to my next point.

Over marketing is the norm

What adds to the confusion is that it's no longer in fashion to call a spade a spade. There are fancy names to prove oneself unique from the others. Depending on who you are, you can choose to call it a shoveling instrument or a mud digger. And it sells! (I guess). I have come across  a mind reader, a idea chef (guess?), a human scientist (don't even ask!) and a happiness coach. I don’t know what any of that means. And with subjective professional vocabulary like this, it's hard to tell what people do. You may seem fancy, but how good are you at your job? 

Experience has diminished in value

Don’t get me wrong - I truly believe that nothing can ever beat experience. Someone who’s been there and done that will always have know better. But with the exposure that the internet and social media gives, someone a decade younger is more comfortable and equipped to deal with the new fangled technology and the fast paced world that we live in. Youngsters actually know certain things even better than the oldies. It’s a level playing field that way but experience no longer makes you exceptional. 

The peaceful times are over

With every passing day, the dream of ending the day with a quiet cuppa just like our parents did is a distant dream. We are so attached to our devices and the lure of the deluge of information they bring to us is so addictive that life is never going to be the same again. Adaptability is the key and we cannot afford to sit back and relax without the fear of being left out. 

There are a several other aspects that can be added that make these times not so great. This is my list. Would you like to add something to it?

Why this is the best time to be alive!

This is the best time to be alive! Photo Credit

This is the best time to be alive!

The prevalent zeitgeist is so full of positive affirmation. The vibe is favourable and promising to engage and indulge in whatever you feel like. The profession you want to be in. Or the person you don’t want to be. No, I am not brimming with misplaced exuberance. I know there are still rapes, murders and other atrocities. We do not live in a perfect world. But the world seems to have changed for the better in a lot of ways and in unprecedented leaps and bounds in the last 5 years or so. And, to me, most of it is change for the better. Seriously, my generation seems pretty anachronistic in today’s times if we don’t catch up with the times. 

The change is evident everywhere. Let’s look at the most common thing to affect all our lives - gadgets. The sheer number and variety for every possible need is mind boggling! The shapes, sizes and sleekness is a testimony to how far we have moved. When I think of my first cellphone, I am reminded of a thick, black brick! I am sure kids in their 20s today would refuse to even touch it. We no longer have to carry heavy laptops around. PC is a relic of the past. Ipads, kindles and their ilk have made browsing, reading easier. There are devices just to indulge in the pleasure of gaming. There are better headphones and bigger televisions. 

And to complement it all, there’s internet in the air, literally! Connectivity is the buzzword! And the kind of connectivity we have today blows my mind away. When I sent my first SMS to my friend more than a decade ago, it seemed no short of a miracle that she could read it instantly. And why not! We were, so far, used to writing reams of pages and waiting for days for the letter to arrive. (And STD calls cost an arm and a leg)

Even though, 24/7 internet is a more recent thing in my life, I sometimes wonder how I lived without it for so long. Google is my friend, guide, mentor, decision maker and what not! And when people ask what something is, I judge them! You shouldn’t ask for objective information when you have Google! And as I discover the new treats of connectivity, my belief about living in the best time ever gets stronger. I have ordered food online! I call for a cab online. And Google Maps ensures I am never lost in any part of the country! I have booked office space for just 3 hours online. I have bought onions and potatoes online! 

Thanks to connectivity, no one is too far away. You can see your grand kids grow through your computer screen. You can download apps for travel, to share pictures - even add filters to make you look more beautiful - and videos instantly, music, shopping, weather and the list is endless. 

But what I find the most fascinating about our times now - and which has had the most impact on the fabric of our society today - is the liberty to be exactly who you want to be. Gender and age no bar. Pursue your dreams. Follow your heart. Love cooking? Be a chef. Even if you are man. Love music? Grow your hair and make independent music. Stuck at home with an infant? Start a blog and tell the world about your passion. Want to change the world? Start a revolution on social media. Can’t find a job? Be an entrepreneur. 

We live in times when people get free food and are paid to write reviews about it. Food bloggers! People make money out of telling you what colours to wear. Image consultants! You can just sit home and write full time to make money. Bloggers! No matter what you want to do, you’ll find support. And it’s easier to connect with like minded people, thanks to social media. No place is too far and no information inaccessible. 

Have I missed out on something. Go ahead and add it in your comments. Would love to hear your ideas on what makes these the best times for you!

Are you as crazy and insane in your browsing habits?

Open email to do important work. 

Click on Twitter while the mail takes 2.5 seconds to open. Since thats too long time to wait idle. While at it, lets hit the bookmarks of Facebook and personal blog as well. Think of tweeting something. But get carried away scrolling through the timeline. Come across a blog post link. 

Click on the post. Find that it’s an author’s. Go to the blog post. Read it. Scroll through archives. Open a couple of more posts with interesting titles. Find the blog interesting. Meanwhile, open Amazon to check out the books and reviews. Bookmark or copy paste blog link in the file with 206 other links stored for later reading. Sigh at the mounting number of things pending. Remember why you got on to the browser in the first place. 

Click back on email. Check mails. Open Linkedin to check requests. Give in to the temptation of scrolling through the home page. Mr. X is coming up with another seminar. Open tabs for the seminar page and the profile page of X. Leave him a message for more details. Check out his profile. 

Click on his profile page. Go through the page. Look at his schooling year and try to figure out his age. Remember why i came to Linkedin. Go the requests. No one seems a potential client. Open tabs for discussion groups.

Click on Facebook and personal blog one after the other. Browse through the home page of Facebook. Note that some more people have had kids. Check for any new comments on the blog. Find that there aren’t any. 

Click back on Amazon to check books and reviews. Go to Google to check if free pdfs are available. Come across a blog that has free pdfs of other books. Browse the categories and labels to find something interesting. Open a couple of tabs with interesting categories. 

Click back on Twitter and check tweets of the author. Find another author she’s taken pics with. Go to the 2nd author profile. Check her books. Check her blogs. Ponder whether to bookmark her blog. Groan at the piling list and lack of time. Think of why you came to the browser to begin with. Remember there was work to do. Look at the open tabs of discussion groups, Facebook, Twitter, blog, blog links, Amazon, book reviews, Google search for pdfs, tabs for pdf categories. 

Click X to close the whole browser. Give up in frustration to come back another time.

Another time. 

Open email to do important work. 

And you know the drill. Does this happen to you too? Isn’t there too much of information vying for our 2 little eye balls and one brain? With unending content online, can we catch up with anything substantial? Is there a way out? Do we need an information detox, or call it browsing detox if you will? What do you think? Drop in your comments below. I would love to hear from you! 

Look around....

Technology has made the world a smaller place. The geographical boundaries don’t make any difference. We can connect with people in any part of the world and even be friends with them. We have a whole online personality through which we reach out to people. We get to know each other through our interactions. I have often thought why do I need to go personally to meet prospective clients and consultants when we have such fantastic way to accomplish the same thing on Skype.

But have you ever wondered why that personal meeting is so important? Actually, nothing else works like getting up close and personal. Photos come closer where you have at least some idea of how a person looks. Someone recently on a social networking website claimed to figure out my nature on the basis of a couple of chats and my photo on the website. Hence that one look is important to know what a person is like. But that meeting is important to get a fair idea of what a person really is like. Hence, social occasions are meant to ‘meet’ people since all the online presence doesn’t compensate for that one personal encounter.

Even more important when someone is trying to make a crucial decision. The resume looks impressive but it is essential to meet up with the incumbent to make the final decision. The profile on the matrimonial website looks great but the final decision can be made only after that personal meeting. You may chat day in and day out online with a friend, but there’s nothing like a face-to-face talk to achieve catharsis. That’s why we need a real shoulder to cry on. We want that real presence who can support us in our times of emotional need.

i know internet is great and virtual relationships are awesome! But for quality relationships, look around and find real people around you. Those are the people who will matter the most and be there when you really need them. We may have 2000 friends on Facebook and 10,000 followers in Twitter, but the ones who can be personally present are the only tangible friends. The rest are lost in the virtual world of the world wide web.

Back with a Bangg!!

Deep into the bottomless pit. Without any source of light. No window to the outside world. Waiting for someone to find me and get me out of there. Futile attempts at scratching the dark walls around in an effort to free myself of the nightmare but all in vain. Mouth wide open trying to snatch as much air as I could but for vague reasons air dint seem to reach the depths. Just going round and round within the confines of mournful existence. Living in the reality of hopelessness...

And then my saviour with a click of a switch restored glowing brilliance of light into my life. i could see light and connect with the world around. Oxygen rushed into my lungs giving me a new lease of life. i was suddenly unfettered and free to do what i chose to. And....and....then i realised my life had no meaning without my internet connection!!!!

My computer seemed only a box fit enough to watch movies and that’s it.... It had life but had lost it’s soul... i could put it on and but had nothing to do with it. The modem decided to act up just when my knight in shining armour (read my husband - in absolutely mundane terms) was away. i couldn’t check mails, log onto Facebook or write my blog!! It was like i could think of all important things to do online just then! And a nut that i am wen it comes technology, i made umpteenth hopeless and fruitless visits around the cables to figure out the wires that to me seems to send out internet signals by magic. But all i could find were plugs for the printer-cum-fax machine, modem, wireless port, telephone adaptor, table lamp, radio....phew and a couple of other things maybe. And wires emanating from all those sources of modern conveniences all over the place! And how would poor me figure out what the hell was wrong.

While i was ‘down under’ trying to set things right and undo the tragedy that had befallen me, my knight told me to simply switch the modem off and then on!!!! And lo! the internet buzzed into life! Gawd! Technology has strange ways of behaving. i can say that. And the astonishing grip that internet has on us is truly unbelievable. Moreso for me who’s become the owner of a laptop only a year ago and spent the better part of my life without computers and 24 hour internet access was a far away cry. As children, internet and computers were relegated only to the dominions of books and scientists. i was so excited when my sister decided to buy a computer in the late 90's. Reason - multimedia kit that she bought with it so i could watch movies and listen to music on it!!!! i got to use computers everyday only when i started working. And i wasn't really excited at the idea of being with them.

But today, the endless dalliance with my laptop takes up chunk of my day....and why me! It’s that way with most of us. How many hours in a day do we spend dawdling away reading stuff that others have written, scrapping friends on Orkut and Facebook, checking emails, forwarding emails, chatting with friends etc etc. Doesn’t matter whether we are lounging on our couch or in the middle of travel - technology has ensured that we have access to the cyberspace wherever we are!!!

Most of what we do online might not be educational or informational but we have to be online and stay connected! It just helps feeling so much better. And I know losing that connection even for a while can feel like losing a close bosom friend!!!! Hail Internet!!!