Don't Stop Believing (3rd December 2009)

You're at a live gig or a concert. You're at a recital or perhaps a movie hall. *Poof* Out with the camera phones.
These technological marvels flaunt high resolution cameras that double as music players with in-built internet browsers. Gadgets of the future.
Oh yeah, and they make calls too. Pfft.

This is a good question: Why is it important to Mr. X to record this event on his cellular phone, a video he is in all probability not going to use afterwards?
His logic: He may use it - he may want to play it again to re-live the experience, he may want to send it to his friends and finally, he might even put it up on the God of all video sharing sites - YouTube.
These are representations of the endless possibilities he is unfolding by whipping out his little toy and holding it up with his hopefully-not-so-smelly arms.

The answer does not lie in the Why but instead the Why Not?
At least this is what I think. Feel free to create new reasons, I don't mean to douse the fire.

Maybe we're supposed to ask a different question. Maybe a better question is "When did there rise a need to document nearly everything that is remotely remarkable or unusual?"
I think the justification here is something that is actually pretty progressive. I mean, c'mon - there has to be an upside.

And this is it - we are becoming a friendlier race, intent on including every Tom, Dick and Harriet into our lives so that the story we tell is
1) more relatable and
2) legitimate.
When I say "story we tell", I mean it existentially.

I'm sure we can come up with more reasons here but the point I'm trying to make is that society is tending towards finding more comfort in sharing and even though that's always been the case, (neanderthals went apeshit on their cave walls back in the day) these technological advances are enabling us to get closer and feel more familial. Communication is the heart of any relationship and if it takes a silly video of a dog walking on two legs to bring a Muslim guy and a Hindu dude to watch and laugh together, by all means!

Ok, all of a sudden my idealism is turning into sappy-soppy stuff. Shit, make that shit. (sounds more masculine AHEM)

So yes, back to what I was trying to communicate.
I think facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and all the forms Google chooses to present itself in are stepping stones toward a community of one and hopefully (stress on hopefully) there'll be some intellectual growth and progress in the mix. (I heart Wikipedia)
Because I'll be the first to say that more people need to start articulating their thoughts and expressing them in any medium.
Be it film, music or literature.
No fucking way is sitting around watching that same dog do hula hoops the answer, you know?

Damn. I have this frustrating love-hate relationship with rambling. I can't help myself. Think of it as ego-food.
If you've come this far, you will be heavily rewarded because I'm about ready to conclude.

Any time now.

Facebook photo albums and videos, Twitter tweets and retweets are brilliant. I seldom use MySpace but hey, that's cool too. Power to the people.
But those darn applications and silly fucking pirate-vampire games (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7MuwPlOiNQ) and also, I just have to put this in here - the whole "Like" option are things that are holding us back, man.

Why am I hating on "Like"? I'll be happy to tell you. Its ok for people like you and me. Heck, it saves time and its a quick and easy way to appreciate something. But honestly, all it's really doing is enabling and perpetuating the lifestyle of folks who can't come up with their own things to say in the first place.
Ooh and toggle case. Let's not get started.

*takes a few breaths*
Seeing is believing, I think I understand now. Because believing is a process that needs to be facilitated and seeing is a big leg up.

When I was a kid I felt like maybe the whole 195 countries in the world thing was a hoax and for all I knew, India was it. The rest of the planet was a clever ruse devised by the powers that be for reasons only known to them. I wasn't buying it. I haven't seen any other country. Yeah, there are pictures and I've watched things on the television too, but that's the funny thing about reality isn't it?

I know now that this "world" thing is real and I am not the mark in a large, large confidence trick and The Truman Show really helped push that idea out of my head but I still can't help but feel like I need to see things for them to be established. And vice versa.

For example, I'm here in Delhi now and my wonderful mother is at home, in Pune, sitting in her room and reading a book. Why am I in Delhi? Well let's not get into tha.. a job, I'm here to work. But my mum doesn't really know that I'm here except for the fact that I left her at the station getting onto a train leaving for Delhi.
Yes, I changed my phone number and Yes for a number of other things but really, the rest is an assumption. What if I planned my escape and what if I'm living in another city or the same city even and keeping it from her?
An elaborate lie, I know and completely unnecessary too. But it's possible, right? Of course it is.

No, Mom I'm not still in Pune... this is just a hypothesis. Mom. Maw-om. MOM! Could you just let me finish, PLEASE?
Phew.

Does anybody else out there think like this? Some times? Once in a way?
I cannot be alone here.

Alright. I'm done. This has been fun. Just a recap:
1. Wear deodorant, especially if you have a camera phone.
2. Keep YouTubing, facebooking and Twittering. It's healthy.
3. Smile.
4. Repeat.