OMG? You are not on FACEBOOK?

Being on Facebook is a trend and an obligation for youngsters nowadays. If someone is not on Facebook, he or she is considered as different. But we have youngsters who do not feel the need to do like their friends. These youngsters are not on Facebook and they explain why below…

How Facebook started?
No one would have known Facebook if Mark Zuckerberg never founded it. At the age of 23, this Harvard student developed a myriad number of social networking websites for his fellow campus friends.Originally known “The Facebook”, Mark Zuckerberg has in 2004 made a huge buzz within 24 hours. Over 1,200 Harvard students had signed up, “The Facebook” addiction has started within the US and gradually reaching the worldwide population….not only in the educational institutions.Knowing a huge popularity, ‘Yahoo’ and ‘Google’ started to express their opinion in buying ‘The Facebook’. The firm refusal of Mark Zuckerberg despite the billions of dollars offered to him had left many astonished.

Being Facebook immune

Facebook is one of the most ‘trendy’, ‘addictive’ and ‘social’ tool ever. Nonetheless, some teenagers view the social media as ‘useless’, ‘a loss of time’ and ‘not a real way to socialise’. Neha Gukhool is 17 years old and not being on Facebook is a choice she made on her own. “All my friends talk about being on Facebook and I realised that it is an open book of the lives of other people.” Even though most of her family members are facebookers, she does not find the necessity to do the same. For Ashley Gougon, 34, he has never been on social media. Working as a civil engineer, he describes himself as a workaholic. “My time is too precious to be spent on social media,” he says. Another young teenager, Deepshika Aucharuz, admits that “Facebook is just a waste of time and it can become a bad addiction”, addiction being the worst thing to happen to the myriad of people with no age limit.

Resist the Facebook temptation
Being part of the 21st century, people consider those who are not on Facebook as probably different. Neha resisted Facebook by doing other interesting things. Avoiding to waste her precious time at the end of the day always pays off. For Deepshika, the Facebook platform or any social media is neither important nor interesting. “Playing stupid games, uploading pictures unnecessarily or having hundreds of friends who are mostly strangers is useless.” She has better things to do. Neha and Deepshika, being both studious, have greater ambitions. Not being an attention seeker, Deepshika does “not feel the need to feel influenced by Facebookers. I am happy with my surroundings. Remembering friends’ birthdays via social media clearly proves lack of friendship in terms of genuineness and sincerity. My secret is loyalty. A loyal person does not need social media.”

Old School friend request
Becoming friends with a simple click is not totally rainbows and butterflies. “I connect with people by meeting them and talking to them more frequently. Since most of my times are usually spent at school and tuition, I prefer to have true friendship, people I can see and go out with,” Neha says. She also adds that she also makes new friends through interactions. Sharing new experiences may also bring new people in my life. Deepshika admits that connecting with people is good but she prefers to contact her friends via Whatsapp, a free application which authorises conversations only as it is “more private and closed.” She also prefers to have a small circle of true friends, whom she can meet casually everyday. For Ashley, the job world lets him meet as many people as he wants. “Since I work on various projects at the same time, I have to get connected with as many clients and people, including people from all generations.”

Birthday reminder
Reminding birthdays would be difficult if Facebook never existed. But standing out of the crowd, Neha, Deepshika and Ashley still have a way of remembering birthdays of their meaningful friends. Ashley easily remembers birthdays and says that “Remembering one’s birthday via social media does not indicate genuine friendship. For instance, Deepshika has her small circle of friends which consists of her six best friends with whom she feels close and who really matter to her. “Remembering their birthdays do not require Facebook, I do have other friends and a calendar is always helpful to remember their birthdays.” For Neha, it is easier to remember everybody’s birthday by using her mobile phone’s calendar but she knows her closed ones’ birthdays by heart. “Also, if someone informs me of someone else’s birthday, I will just message him or her.”

Free time
As many people spend many hours on Facebook, others spend their time in different ways. Neha and Deepshika cope both with revision and entertainment. “I like watching movies, surf the internet, read different books. I also enjoy spending time with my friends and family. It is important to cherish every moment with them.” It is important for both of them to better have a souvenir or moments with their family, as these moments are moments to be remembered. The moments passed on Facebook are useless moments but these do not seem to be important for any of those youngsters. For Ashley, the best way to spend his free time is to do some sports. “I do a lot of sports. I also read a lot.” He also enjoys doing research to keep himself abreast of important news and other interesting things.

Reshmee Bheemuck