Why Facebook is here to stay...

More than 5 years since its inception in India and the 8 letter word, not only being a new addition to our dictionary has inarguably become an intrinsic part of one’s verve. It has replaced some of its predecessors to such an extent that ‘Orkut’ and ‘Myspace’ have become an extinct vocabulary. I’ve had many discussions with my friends on how its charm shall be doomed by something more ingenious but in vain.

If the high valuation of Facebook’s IPO wasn’t convincing enough, glance through its membership which is bound to traverse the populace of a myriad of nations maturing into an international obsession beyond the multiplicity and diversity. Its popularity is farther than American elections and has raised insecurities of some Governments to such a level that it has been banned. For critics, who are not a friend yet, have either been persuaded by friends or had a tough time convincing their friends why they don’t believe it is logical to join.

The biggest catalyst beyond connection and secrecy is that it enables the users to create his own content. The user can update the status of his life, tell which corner of the world he is in or even add his secret crush. So, one can be in command of public relations controlling his information sharing. Consequently, there is a constant bustle in one’s life, followed by the curiosity of knowing what’s happening with the people you know. So, it can match up to a customized newspaper where you’re the editor; coupled with the choice of content at a click of the mouse. This narcissism is here to reside.

This is escorts ease of access facilitated from cell phones to tablets. In addition, Facebook has harmonized its efforts in accelerating connectivity with constant upgradation of its Timeline like introducing video calling with skype, social reading such as Washington post, giving a complementary email account, photo access with Instagram and professional networking with Glassdoor. Moreover, the profiles can be beyond people, extending to companies, interests and public figures we love or hate. Another interesting trend is mankind’s shift towards productivity where there is a constant urge to do something constructive and this is a step forward for man’s instinctive ability of being a social animal.

Also, you can share practically anything on the world wide web by just posting a link. One of the attractive raison d'être for its development comes from its premium alma meter ‘Harvard’ , moving on to the other Ivy Leagues which have a cult following in today’s youth and intellectuals. Also, facebook provides superior content for gossip mongers, one of our national pastimes. In some lingual connotations, it has been used as a synonym of time pass. The manner in which the largest multinational corporations and most powerful government’s in the world have become a consumer of this platform themselves has lead to an all new ball game of social media marketing. This vividly signifies its significance in our popular culture. Confidently, it is here to stay until we stop changing our status or a new plus multiplies its reach.

Closing with an appealing remark-

Entertainment Weekly included the site on its end-of-the-decade "best-of" list, saying, "How on earth did we stalk our exes, remember our co-workers' birthdays, bug our friends, and play a rousing game of Scrabulous before work."re Facebook?"

7 Life (changing) skills enabling infinite possibilities

Your age, profession, preference no longer matters. The Information Age at its onset brings the realm of new opportunities with a duality of challenges. After a lot of reading, experiences, discussions and more importantly introspection here is a compilation of 7 colors of your personality traits/skills which you need to rediscover/redefine to devise your X-factor.

1. Speed Reading-

Today’s newspaper, fortnightly niche magazines, company reports, online articles and the list is unending. So much to read and think, still lesser time. 250-300 words per minute is passé. The pre requisite is glancing through the text twice or thrice faster than your current speed to cope up with the overflowing information all around us notwithstanding the urge to read the PAGE 3 column.

2. Listening-

How can listening be a skill? You’re already hearing to the sounds in the vicinity. With all the neighboring noise and our habit of conveying our opinion, listening inclined in importance .If you still disagree, observe a senior manager/politician LIVE and check how much they listen. Lesson #1: Listen to your inner voice.

3. Walk the talk-

Approaching strangers can be difficult, let alone attempting business with them. To stand opportunistic enough, get out of that comfort zone and stop thinking ‘Why should I start talking to him?’ For practice try social places like the local club, dance classes, playgrounds etc. It is most useful when travelling and approaching people for directions.

4. KISS (Keep it Simple Silly) -

Whether it is an investor presentation, the first date or a child enquiring ‘why does something happen?’ What everyone wants is simplicity, a summary of the complex information. So, you continue the hard work, develop your logic but when you present- KISS.

5. Autodidactism (Self-learning) -

There is a system of formal education, technical courses, everyday skills and the list is unending. Whether it is cooking, how to tie a tie or how to do bhangra, thanks to www everything is available at the click of a mouse. It requires a bit of a research but a magnitude of discipline. With self-directed learning you can surely be a ‘Jack of all trade.’

6. Social media management -

With such an array of media available, it is strenuous to choose how to communicate and maintain contact, most importantly have a consistent message. All of us aware of their usage nevertheless it commands a lot of training and trial and error to harness them effectively and unleash their true potential.

7. Time management-

Ultimately, to grasp all these life skills, you need time and time management is itself a skill. The tenor can be sticky notes, to-do lists, pocket diary or cell phone reminders. Yet ,a new pedagogy is essential to enable a paradigm shift from focus on per minute productivity to a rostrum for self-awareness and leisure. It doesn’t matters how much you do in a day, but what you actually do. For starters, start with accomplishing one perfect thing in a day.

TRAVELUTION!

One of the upcoming trends in the youth today is the urge to travel. Whether it is globetrotting, local excursion or a rural expedition, the new generation just wants to move around and explore the world. They are likely to be in places which are contrasting to their current purlieus.

The indegrients for this inclination have been the growth of young professionals, increasing number of outstation students who are more independent, the weekend culture, evolution of travel networks like Couch surfing which provides free housing across the globe and expansion of Youth organizations like AIESEC and Rotary Club. Though, the biggest antecedent is, the boom of social media where can share his wanderlust with his virtual friends and followers. One can check in a popular place, share what he is feeling in his travel blog, showcase his photography antiques and with whom he is hanging out with. In fact, this has led to a contemporary peer pressure wherein it is obligatory to commute to a unique/ famous destination. It has become an intrinsic part of social conversations. The path to social elitism is no longer what you own but where you have been and what adventures you had.

Interestingly, travel is being viewed by more and more youngsters as the means to breakthrough their rather comfort zone and explore the real world. It marries the concept of ‘self-discovery’ wherein you tour the world and come back home to discover the new ‘you.’ In fact, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, a Bollywood film based on a Road trip of 3 best friends won the IIFA Award for the ‘Best Film of the Year 2012.’

Institutionally, increasing number of jobs and educational courses are becoming virtual, giving the general public a chance to go around. Professionally, a person’s resume stands out with his knowledge of the real if he has a culturally diverse education or experience. Considering, developed countries, this movement has developed to the next level wherein young couples and families are contemplating, relocation to an entirely diverse part of the globe. This is vividly represented in the American Series, ‘House Hunters.’ While for developing countries, it’s a win-win situation for MNCs. It enables them to employ cheap labour for a project in a developed country; while the employee is lured by foreign travel. For educational institutions, it improves the profile when they say they have an exchange with a foreign university.

As I write this article on vacation in America, I realize, I’m myself a contributor for TRAVOLUTION!

Concluding, with a beautiful quote-

“Not all those who wander are lost.” – J. Tolkien

Diwali Reinvented

The Lights of the lamps, the sounds of the crackers, the taste of the sweets- reminds you of Diwali? Well, this Diwali is passé, NT explores the new way:

Diwali has traditionally been the most celebrated and grandest of Indian Festivals. Along, with the mythological significance the festival has, people have derived new implications by associating it as a platform for people to come together, cleanliness, preserving dhan (wealth), replacing old things and brother-sister relationship. The process of updating these symbolisms and making them more relevant to the society has made it a mirror of taking the old customs and traditions, to the way forward.

Taking a common example when asked to a teenager ‘When does he come to know when Diwali is approaching?’, Rahul Verma, a answers “,When the brands start playing the Diwali theme advertisements.” On the same question, his mother, Ranjani Verma, answers “When people start cleaning their houses.” Hence, although certain intrinsic rituals like the Lakshmi Pujan occupy a permanent place, the other facets still remain open to customization.

The innovation has been far and wide. The Diwali Mithai and Farsan have been replaced by the Celebrations and the Biscuit packs. The one to one way of greetings and wishing best wishes for the season have transformed from the Telephone calls, to the forward Smses and now Social Networking sites where people tag all those they want to wish on Facebook pictures and wall posts. In fact, even the ritual of playing cards at midnight (Teen pati) has surrendered itself to Poker. Speaking on the increased consumerism, Diwali is now incomplete without shopping some latest Branded stuff for your loved one or watching the latest Diwali release. The people have derived mixed opinion on crackers because of increased awareness about Child Labour and Environmental Pollution associated with it.

The Corporate have come up with lingua like Corporate gifting and Traditional Wear Competitions to motivate the employees to perform and not take an off in the peak season. The Malls have become the centre of all action instead of the local city markets. The most drastic change however, has been the Earthen Diyas (Lamps) being replaced by Electronic Lights. In fact, something amusing is beggars having their Diwali budgets which can be gauged from the experience of beggars at Nasik Road Station asking for an extra Diwali bonus.

In the light of Consumerism, Social Media, Environmentalism, Globalisation and faster Lifestyles, Nasikites have Reinvented our very own Diwali. What’s next? Let’s hope that this Diwali draws some light on it…