This was a wonderful space to hang out in and share our thoughts! But now we've all moved on and simply left our memories behind :-) ...

Monday, May 12, 2008

Instant Messaging and Me - Amrita (Red Soul)

I started chatting online when I was in high school. Since then, I've seen Rediff Bol, Yahoo Messenger, MSN, GTalk etc, and avoided some like AIM or AOL because they never really crossed path with me. It was a wonder in the beginning for me because I had never communicated openly with even my friends in school, and here I was: just username and password away from millions of fascinating people, all over the world, as if just sitting there, typing away to talk to me about their culture, their countries, their lives, their college grades or boyfriends/girlfriends. When it comes to something new, I always get greedy about it. I want to have it all. And such a platform was just what I needed to really start the process which I loved so much - observing people going through their lives.

I made some really great friends through IMs. With it, I've lived red and blue times (happy and sad times.. lol). At times in India, when my internet package used to get over, it felt like I was so far away from the world - I had to reconnect to my space, to my comfort zone which I had created in my messenger list, to keep in touch with my best friends that I had made online.

Instant Messaging and me are like best buddies now. I've shared good music through it, movie reviews and updated my to-read books lists all the time through chatting with friends. These days, who really has the time and energy to talk on phone. IMs are very convenient to keep relationships intact, without letting a lot of distance come between the people who mean a lot to me. I have grown as a better person through the things I have learnt from people, strangers or friends through this little chat software. I love Technology when it is used in the right way. (This is how I would have concluded my school essay on "Science - a boon to the society or otherwise?" :p ) Way to go IMs!!

P.S. Oops I missed Skype!! I remember I once had a chat with an elderly African American man who was still enraged at every mention of a blonde because of all the racism against blacks in the early years. It gave me an insight to a black American man's feelings in current world and it shook me. This was just before I was preparing myself to come to US to study. So you can imagine how IM touches you.

7 comments:

  1. Hi,Amrita-this was one nice post,and expressed your experiences with IMs,very lucidly.

    Even I never really got too used to skype,aol,rediffbol.Gtalk-familiarity came only when they made it a part of their email window.

    ***just user name and password away**..yup,that's what causes the magic of IM,helping people keep in touch.And,perhaps,that's the only reason why even I don't get down to hand writing a few letters,just for ole time's sake.

    Cheers,and awaiting your next post.

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  2. great post girl!

    **IMs are very convenient to keep relationships intact, without letting a lot of distance come between the people who mean a lot to me. I have grown as a better person through the things I have learnt from people, strangers or friends...


    Definitely! Imagine how hard connecting with ppl wud be if we didnt hv all this!


    U said it the best. :)


    Keshi.

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  3. lol :) it is very similar to what blogging is for me..

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  4. AmitL, thank you for such encouraging words. Thats just what a budding writer needs you know rite? :D

    Keshi, thank you too. You guys cheered me in the final exams week! Your comment was a pick-me-up! :D

    Vishesh, I couldn't agree more!! Come to think of it, I wouldve written similarly about my experience with blogging. Its just so close to our lifestyle now. Inseparable.

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  5. Good luck with ur exams hun!

    Keshi.

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  6. Thanks Keshi. Just two to go. Then im a free bird :D

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  7. LOL!
    "Science - a boon to the society or otherwise?"

    This is such a typical essay .. I guess each one of us has written on it some or the other time in his/her life!

    I started chattin because I was inquistive about people, their culture and habits. I remember the first time I chatted was from my dad's office PC in India lol! (this was years ago!) and it was sooo interesting to knw abt how other people are :) .. the similarities and differences ... but it didnt stay this way for long coz soon there was an outbreak of bots and perverts and thats when I got disinterested!

    Anyway nice to read ur post :) Could connect to it .. am sure you knw it by now! lol

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