Social Media Makes It So Much Harder To Leave You

Almost every day, we hear about the overwhelming influence that technological advancement has on our monotonous routines. More specifically, to me, it seems like this is the era of social networking. In just a few years, it has emerged as an essential component of most of our lives, without which, it seems impossible to spend an entire day. From the moment we wake up and check our smartphones, we immerse ourselves into this enticing world.

But, today I think I seem to realize a drawback of such a seemingly positive indulgence.

Over a couple of years, it is all too easy to establish a friendship with someone. And the first thing we do nowadays is to add the friend on Facebook. Then, you follow the person’s tweets. Add them on Blackberry Messenger or Whatsapp. And so begins the cycle of getting to know the person and simultaneously providing them access to your social networking profiles, which if you browse right now, you will notice have a lot of things you normally would not want a random person to see. But, the issue of internet security, although worth considering, is not what I am targeting here.

Now, as you get to know friends, you get close to some of them. Over time, they become the friends you never imagined you would have. But, let’s face it, the moment you call yourselves ‘BFF’s’, you realize that each is eventually going to move on in life and staying in touch is going to be difficult. But, even then, there are friends you stay in touch with. The ones you really love.

Today, I made a decision to just cease contact with a friend I loved. It was my first crush. And the bond between us was chemically polar. I wanted her to care, and she wanted me to care. The difference was that I did selflessly give a shit. She did not. I noticed that her arrogance was promoting a sense of irritability in me. And after a year of continuing to love her in spite of the distance, she did not love back, even though insisting multiple times that she did.

What was the best way to move on? Give myself some space I think. I just thought I had to stop talking to her for a while and just in general, stop giving a shit about her life for once.
So, here’s the problem. I delete her from my blackberry messenger list. But up pops our conversation on Whatsapp. I delete her from there, and up pops her picture on my home page on Facebook. Do I block her? Sure. But wait, she’s good. She can still tweet right. Time to unfollow the selfishness.

And just when I thought I was done, her blog reminded me otherwise.

How much does it take to just let go of someone now? Frankly, it has become so hard. There are so many dimensions to social networking, that it has become an onerous task to get yourself some personal space.

Deactivate your Facebook and people say you’re dragging attention. And to just get away from someone is such a hard hurdle to cross emotionally. Social networking makes the already big hurdle, even bigger.