Of friends and neighbors

Social media and I were never good friends.

India’s favorite many years ago used to be Orkut!

Slowly I realized, not being part of the Orkut gang, I was missing out on some important updates from friends about life’s progress.

Weddings, babies, moving in, moving out, career changes and sometimes more important –“in person” meeting invites~!!!

By the time I decided to jump onto the Orkut bandwagon, I heard drum rolls for Facebook.

That was the new place to be seen!!

Well, it took me a lot of effort to create and befriend people on Orkut, learn to navigate the pages and now there was more pressure!!!

Facebook was cool, Facebook you could poke, and Facebook you could meet people from all over the world!!

So I did!

It was all that, and more, Forgotten friends, next door neighbors, folks u met everyday, folks who you had never met even once, were all suddenly “Friends”

My life suddenly was not just about me!

While I was growing up “keeping up with the Joneses” meant neighbors on your streets.

Now suddenly everyone became a Jones!!

But worse was the sudden need to share!

Every personal detail of your day, your thought, your family, your home with the Joneses!

It was good while it lasted.

Entering the home of a “friend”  whom you were meeting after 15 years was familiar! You knew exactly where the couch was placed, where the painting done by his 8 year old daughter was framed and hung, you knew the way the lamps were placed at his bedside table, the year he bought his car and even knew the color of his cutlery!

Nothing was left to the imagination!!

Little kids names and ages were not something you had to struggle to remember, all it took was a quick look into his profile, get the details and get comfortable!

Too comfortable at times!!

Privacy became passé

Everyone seemed to be happy! Their kids, spouse, friends were all happy lots, over achievers all!!

Their gardens seem to flourish, their travels seemed to span the globe, their lives fulfilling!

Then why does that make me sad?

Was I a failure, was my home not noteworthy of pictures and updates were my kids underperformers?

Or maybe I just need to move away from the Joneses?