On how challenging the Internet could be.

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The Internet is challenging.

Especially social medias. You know, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, to name a few.

Yeah the initial point of being on it  is to catch up with old friends. I still remember the joyous feeling when I finally find an old friend on Friendster and Facebook. Its like a Jejak Kasih moment of sorts.

And then comes all the dynamic contents. First you get to play lots of fun apps and games. Then you get to poke people. And then smartphones come with superb resolutions and you snap photos pretty much anytime. And then they let you share it online instantly.

Next thing you know you are telling people how you run your life.

Like what you had for breakfast, and what you wore to work. And how you spend the night. Or for some how pretty you are or how happy your family is, and how you deserve the compliments that in certain doses makes your day.

You read your feeds, saw how other people run their life. Gossips, information, rumours, vainpots, whiners, attention seekers. If you look carefully you nearly have a full collection in your feeds. And then comes the people who are blessed with abundant means (either they are just born with it, or they work their behinds off), a luxurious holiday, a designer handbag, a posh car, a magnificent home. Whatever it is they just feel that they have the right to show you that they deserve it. Judging from their timelines it seems that they lead a perfect life.

And envy looms (hey, after all we are all humans). Its up to you how to handle it. Take it positively, change it into a motivation, you want to be like that too, so you work hard. Take it negatively, and it consumes you, fills you with hatred, and you become a hater.

And the vicious cycle goes on. Yet you still need them. You still crave for the feeds, each and everyday. You need them for motivations, you need them for reasons to hate. Reasons to be happier, reasons for self comfort.

It became part of you.

Tricky huh?

Not saying that I am not guilty of this. I think I am.

Sometimes I hate my dependency on my smartphone. I has become a love and hate thing.

Which left me ponder where should I draw the line. Maybe I should learn to leave it alone once in a while. Maybe like a no smartphone, no Internet day. Step into the real world again, and learn more from there.

P/S : Have you read about the contract a mom made for her 13 year-old son, upon him receiving an Iphone for Christmas? Its just brilliant! And these are the points that I love most.
14. Leave your phone home sometimes and feel safe and secure in that decision. It is not alive or an extension of you. Learn to live without it. Be bigger and more powerful than FOMO (fear of missing out). 
17. Keep your eyes up. See the world happening around you. Stare out a window. Listen to the birds. Take a walk. Talk to a stranger. Wonder without googling.
Read the rest of the contract, here.

Comments

Tisha said…
dah baca. so funny. but so true. need one when the time comes.
We try our best to leave the internet alone on weekends so we can spend some quality time with the family.

Also leave the phone at home whenever we can.

You should try it! Very refreshing! :D
Qistin Fadzin said…
That iPhone contract is truly a wake-up call for me too... (that point no 14 to be exact). I tried not to make the online world define me (or convince myself, that is). I am a person, not some username ;)

The fact that people thought what we posted is how we run our life is truly misleading (but some do want us to get the idea of their lifestyle). It's about how you put yourself out there that matters. I believe there's a thin line between sharing & showing off. It depends on the receiving end :)
Ayuni A. said…
Tishya : Tulah beb. We should give it a try. Must be refreshing and liberating, like what Mama Haraz is experiencing. Good job on that! Cuma satu je, I risau kalau tinggal phone then I am not reachable if any emergency happens. huhu..

Qis: I agree with you that there is a very fine line between sharing and showing off. That is why I think many times before I start posting about stuff I do and bought, etc. I made a point that I shall only post if I want people to know, as in get inspired by it, or benefit from such information. Its tricky, huhu. Love your statement there : "I am a person, not a username" :)
I LOVE this post sis.
Social media now are very scary I would say. I can go without social media for a day! I've done it and I find it is a bigggg success! haha.
But the thing I hate the most is the people who are too obsess about it. A dinner with your girlfriends are like having dinner by yourself. Hmmm.. I miss those days when smartphone never exist.
Me and hubby... I make it a point where no phone allowed when dining time or when I'm talking. haha. It takes time! But, it works eventually.
I just want my kids to grow and explore the world instead of clinging to a social network.
Owhhh, yeah reading someone who leads such a perfect life having almost everything that a girl wants sometimes can be quite challenging. haha.
We just have to be grateful of what we have cause everyone have their own rizk. self-remind. hehe

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