All that surrounds you

When was the last time you actually touched a photograph? Or wrote a personal/casual email, let alone a letter? Or even tried calling up your long lost friend? Hell, you don't need to as you got technology on your side! Or rather "social technology". In this age of instant (and more importantly, convenient) gratification, you don't need to figure out who's who in a picture as everyone is already tagged (I somehow have an urge to tag all the pictures that have people I know). Writing a "wall post" is much simpler than writing an email. And why bother calling when you can see your friend's smiling picture on his page along with a status message that suggests he has had "the best day" of his life (even though this might be the nth such day)? The point is, our methods of communicating have changed and so have our needs.

I am no hater of technology. On the contrary, I devour with utter delight any new advancements in it. As a kid, the sound of the dial-up modem thrilled me (more so as I was using someone else's connection). Back then, msn/yahoo chat rooms were all the rage and emoticons were used generously. A document would be the only thing one could possibly download given that the phone doesn't ring. I used to frequently e-mail my aunt in the USA and eagerly waited for the reply, marvelling at this wonderful means of communication.

As we all know what happened with the advent of web 2.0, let me not bore you by being nostalgic any more. But the implications of a more powerful web were felt by one and all. All the things that deemed luxurious suddenly became essential in everyday life. Socialising, which was unimaginable without people being physically present, became the most revenue generating venture online. After all, visiting a persons virtual profile is as good as visiting his house. That's the reason why all of it comes so naturally and why it is the primary means of contact for many people. The ability to do tons of things which can only be done virtually makes it even more enticing for people to use the web for socialising.

In conclusion, I think in future, we will see newer and more innovative methods of socialising. Like it or not, physical contact will reduce and we may even celebrate festivals online by organising "events". People will opt for virtual children as they are low maintenance and you can choose their characteristics. Online karma points will be more valuable than what we do offline. Though all this seems absurd at the moment, it can very well be the definition of web 3.0. Let's brace ourselves for an even more involving Internet experience which is sure to change the face of socialising as we now know it. But the question is, "Are you upto it?"