My Tryst with Facebook: Friendships and Face-offs

I had been leading a strange life lately!

It was as if I had stepped out of the confines of a coffin each morning, rushed around to meet –and- greet fellow ghouls and had hurried back into the box at night, only to repeat the routine next day!!

Phew! that was sanguinous, i’m aware....but that’s how life had been for a while. To break the monotony of drudgery, disease and convalescence and to overcome the ‘grief’ of a cancelled trip abroad, I sought refuge on FB and since then life has never been quite the same.

Facebook has been beckoning for sometime, but it was not until four months ago that I succumbed to its reckoning force.

It didn’t take long before the curtains were drawn to reveal a world of intrigue, jealousy, lust, romance, wealth and power. I watched spell- bound as conquests, connections, donations, dogs and husbands were proudly flashed before the public eye.

I was amused to find bandwagons running amuck on FB and people following a fond one around with the faithfulness and ferocity of a love-sick terrier. You may chose to hop on to the raunchiest or the jolliest bandwagon, as you may find suitable. As a die-hard Gemini I hop from one to another, to savor the best of both!

It was then that I chanced upon folks who tried to use my space to promote their ‘causes’. First the friend- request arrived, which I initially ignored. As I was lauding myself on having done the right thing, another arrived and I succumbed to its irresistible persuasiveness.

The nightmare began when I found my wall being plastered with slogans drawing attention to the plight of delinquent ducks or, persuading me to participate in a candle –lit vigil for aberrant cats that have stopped mewing and are crooning instead! I managed to hit the de-friend button in time to save my sanity!!

And just when I thought that things can’t get any worse I found my wall being used for a smear campaign. Although the attack was meant for another, the viciousness hit ME on the face before I lunged for the de-friend button!

The power of FB is overwhelming. I’ve made a few friends and, if a bunch of us met after two decades it was thanks to FB!But it has also made me feel that Big Bro is watching. It gave me the creeps when friend- requests arrived from people whom I had, earlier, wanted to be packed off to Planet Pluto, without fresh water supply!

I discovered a few ‘friends’ who sat on my wall and watched the proceedings as if it were a racket game.Their presence baffled me.....why were they there? I didn’t know and after a while I didn’t want to know. I simply knocked them off my wall!

All said- and- done, FB is awesome! It allows one to share (or brag) in style!

It is a splendid platform where thinkers, achievers, potential lovers, megalomaniacs, incurable flirts, compulsive liars, sports enthusiasts, dog lovers and connoisseurs of women and w(h)ine freely mingle with social wannabes, page 3 folks, experts and has-beens from all walks of life..!

Now if that is not fun....what is?