Many of my connections on Facebook recently shared a photo of a girl, called Arwa, who had gone missing in Mumbai. It demonstrated their concern about this missing child. I found out today that thousands of folks re-shared this link and the photo. This is not a new phenomenon, such requests have been featuring on Facebook for far too long.
I also found out today that the missing girl was found by the police on the same day that she went missing. There is now a photo of a newspaper article doing the rounds, reporting that the girl has been found. Folks on Facebook are still sharing the link asking people to help find the missing girl.
I find this exercise futile. Somewhere, deep in our psyche, we feel we have contributed to helping find the girl by letting more and more people know that the girl is missing. Apart from that we don’t do much. Maybe some people actually do something about it – go in search of the girl or something to that effect – but most of us let go of the girl after we have re-shared the shared link.
The link that tells you that the girl is found, is not shared as much. Is it that we have an obsession with sensationalism, that we are quick to share the news of the girl going missing but ignore sharing the news that the girl was found? Is it that, it’s all good that girl has been found, and it doesn’t matter whether we tell our friends of the good news? Would we share thoughtfully if Facebook charged us a few rupees for every share? If every share cost you something, would you share as much? For that matter, if you were charged for every like, would you like so many things?
I think a couple of years ago, there was more original content on Facebook. Now, it has become a browser.
Oops, sorry, I went and clicked the ‘Like’ button here too.
But you are right, FB works as a browser for me. That too, not one I’d like to use regularly or rely on.
LOL! The like button here is fine
I am glad, in a way, that you agree @ browser. Thank fully, I can now control what stuff I see.
As we talk about this, a new missing girl is being featured on FB.
i agree about our obsession with sensationalism. after all, our media thrives on it. no news is news if it is not a tragedy now-a-days.
About the amount of liking and sharing we would do if it costs..i dont know…we may still like and want to share something but be unable to actually do it thats it! so i think FB is just helping us express what we feel.
despite all this i totally agree that there are many vetti people who like everything and share everything without thinking twice:)
Welcome to Gaizabonts!
I agree, we will still like to “like” and share – but if it costs us that much more – we will think twice, perhaps thrice, right? I think we will get more relevant content, if people had a stake in each share/like.
PS: Explain vetti? Is that Tanglish?
taking the liberty to respond. ‘vetti’ is the tamil equivalent of ‘vela’. not tanglish, really, just informal tamil
Merci! I googled it later @ vetti!
– also – I was wondering why your comment went in moderation – then I saw that you were using your blogspot details. 
Well, we are all very passive. We want to do something, but not much of that something. So, sharing the info is enough for now. And when the girl is found, no action is required as nobody who shared is worried or thinking about it anyways.
Reading blogs after a long time. Good to see that you still write regularly, if not that frequently.
And facebook is a browser for all the world to see what you are upto without the courtesy of making a call or sending a mail. I’m glad I never signed up for it.
Well, I am very glad that you are reading – there’s hope, then, that you will write too. And that’s true about Facebook, what you say. Just enables action while being lazy.
My comment is awaiting moderation aa? Your blog forgot me. Sigh! What else to expect?
LOL! It’s not me – it’s WordPress’ way of saying you have been away too long. You are still in my blogroll – could I forget? Tsk, tsk.