Throw That Broadband Out The Window

My crazy Maxis Broadband. Notice that the one on the left is operating at a faster speed than  the one on the right.

 

Sometimes I wish Man did not invent the Internet. *It’s so ironic that I’m saying this since I’m gonna have to utilize the Internet to post this.* Before you start throwing rotten apples at me and calling me a hypocrite (what with me Facebooking and tweeting so frequently and maintaining my blog all at once), let me at least put my point across, alright?

Disclaimer: Everything in this blog post from this point onwards is merely my personal opinion. It is in no way a personal attack on anyone and hence, I implore you to not take offence. If you somehow feel that you are on the brink of getting angry at me, do stop reading and proceed to something more productive than lingering on this site.

I probably spend more time online than many of my friends. Back in KTT, I was the only one in my apartment who went online almost every day. My roommate, on the other hand, very rarely used the Internet. Talk about opposites.

The Internet both fascinates and repels me. I blame it wholly on Facebook and Twitter and other such sites because of how my generation abuses it on a daily basis. I’m probably one of the perpetrators, but that’s another story.

My main gripe with this whole social networking thing is how we all take for granted that we can conveniently use it as our main form of communication. I understand that in some cases, Facebook and Twitter are the only ways to reach me, but that’s for very isolated cases, normally involving people I do not know personally but somehow got acquainted with through mutual friends and such. But for the most part, the people on my social networking sites who need to contact me have either my MSN or my phone number, or both. Is it really that difficult to pick up the phone and send me a text message? If you have the means to go online, surely you have the means to text me.

For example, some people leave me Facebook messages saying “Hey, I really need this info/answer/opinion. It’s really important. Reply me ASAP.” Sometimes, when I’ve had a not-so-pleasant day, I’m tempted to ignore the message because if it really is important, they should have at the very least dropped me a text message asking me to check my FB messages, right? Fortunately, I’m kind enough to reply, so I make excuses on their behalf and tell my brain that it’s okay to reply those messages. *perasan mode on* If we are on different sides of the world, I’d totally understand that Facebook would most likely be the best way to reach me, but we aren’t! Well, not yet, anyway.

Another issue is how we think that tweeting or updating our status is enough to inform everyone of what we’re doing. Granted, I am guilty of that, too. For instance, I decided to inform my friends of my departure via the Internet instead of telling them individually, basically because I have no idea who I shouldn’t tell and who wouldn’t be interested to know (I’m perasan enough to think that everyone I know wants to know), so to save face, I posted it on Facebook. heh. But see, the point is, if it’s a matter which requires immediate attention, don’t expect me to read it from your status updates. Sometimes my News Feed is so flooded that I just skim through and miss the important ones along with the less sensible ones. I don’t have perfect 20/20 vision so I can’t be expected to see too clearly. And for some unknown reason, sometimes my notifications mysteriously go missing and I don’t realize it when people mention me in their comments.

Oh, and one more thing. In a way, I suppose all of us, either consciously or subconsciously, like the attention we get on the Internet, hence the ‘Like’ button on Facebook and the ‘Retweet’ and ‘Favourite’ buttons on Twitter (not too sure about other sites because I don’t use them). But I think it’s rather ridiculous how we’re expected to wish every single person on our friends list a very happy birthday, especially those people who are mere acquaintances whom we know next to nothing about, like a junior from school who was once in the same society as you, or a random person you chatted with at a social gathering, or someone you met at a tuition centre with whom you exchanged formalities. When people like that wish me, I know that they are merely discharging their Facebook-given duty. It doesn’t feel like they really want me to have a happy birthday.

Having said all of the above, I would like to reiterate that it is highly unlikely that I would give up the Internet. I’ve argued in favour of it and I will continue to do so. Facebook has become a very useful tool for me to keep in touch with the people I care about without having to bother them too frequently with my questions. Twitter has been a tool to catch people online and make them answer my questions (trust me, it’s often more effective than Facebook, but maybe that’s because I don’t utilize my Facebook Chat often). They are platforms for me to share my likes and dislikes, my opinions and ideas, to raise awareness and even funds. And yet, sometimes I feel so frustrated that I am tempted to hit the ‘Deactivate Account’ button just to prove a point. I’ve never been able to bring myself to do it though.

Maybe I’m being irrational, a little old-fashioned even. Maybe when I’m away from home, I’d appreciate all this more. But until that happens, you just met a very conflicted side of my brain. Be nice and say “HI!”