No, you guessed it wrong. It's not because of women posting "Hi I Priya. Wud you lik to do fransip with me?" on my scrap book. Though, I am sure that there are women out there who have stopped using Orkut precisely because of (male) morons like this. There are enough posts out there on the various kind of "fransip" offers, so I won't go into detail here.
I hate Orkut because it brings me face to face (or profile to profile) with people from my past life. Now don't get me wrong. There are certainly a few friends that I am glad to have found on Orkut. My best friend from boarding school from 16 years ago being one of them. Unfortunately, I can't think of any more at the time.
However, I can think of several people who I would have much rather not talked to for the rest of my life. Its not that I don't like these people. I will admit that it is kinda neat to see all your high school classmates from years ago, and see what they are upto. And at various points of life, I may even have wondered about some of them, and thought what they are upto. But now being in touch with some of these people, I am convinced that I would have been better off without Orkut. Let me give you a few examples.
A classmate from school that I did not get alongwith. He found me on Orkut, and scraps me like we have been best friends all our lives. To take it a step further, he suggested that I meet up with him when I was in India. I fail to understand the logic behind it. He knows he is wasting his time (and mine), and I know it too. Yet, he continues to ask me about what is new in my life. Nothing dude - don't you get it?
Another classmate from school who found me one day and was a little "too friendly". I don't remember her, have no recollection of her, and I told her this. She insists that we were great friends in school, and continues to scrap me with abandon. She recently told me that she got a new belly button ring, and it looks great. Er...too much information, don't you think?
Few months ago, this girl from school scrapped me that she had a crush on me in school. Great - I am flattered, but er....what can I do about it? She then proceeded to tell me that she has been in love with me ever since and she broke up with her last boyfriend because of me. Considering that we last saw each other in about 10 years ago when we were both 15, a little weird, right? She then proceeds to tell me that I wouldn't understand her. She has a point there...I only understand normal people.
The icing on the cake was when my girlfriend from school found me a few weeks ago. It had been a bad break up, and I had a guilty conscience (won't go into details here). So, when she found me, it was the perfect opportunity to apologize and get it over with. Except that she replied to my apology with - "You have changed a lot. You have put on sooo much weight". Now just because I am no longer the scrawny severly underweight kid I was 6 years ago, there is no reason to go talk about my weight. I am finally at the point where people don't ask me if I am sick every time they see me. And here is my ex telling me that I have become fat. I am sure that all of you (wait, there is someone reading this besides me, right?) would suggest that I write the same thing back to her. I will not lie - the thought did cross me my mind. But my parents raised me the right way (or so they told me).
These are a few people that I certainly could have done without talking to. The saving grace is that I live far enough where I won't ever have to meet these people again. There are several people who have added me, or scrapped me once, but past that, we have nothing to talk about. Dude - we didn't have anything in common when we were in the same class. Now, after 10 years, when we work in different fields, live in different countries, what can I talk to you about? And yet people scrap me - "Dude - you don't ever scrap me. You don't even have time to talk to friends??"
WTF?
P.S. While not yet, I will have the same problem with facebook in a few years.
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6 comments:
I never warmed up to Orkut. I don't trust these places!
So true :) Good luck for the Kellogg decision
"Dude - we didn't have anything in common when we were in the same class. Now, after 10 years, when we work in different fields, live in different countries, what can I talk to you about?" -- Perfect !! ..this is what i wonder most of the times.
Aahh..so many people..just too careless to be taken seriously. Unfortunately they make us call this wonderful product, Orkut, nonsensical. In a state of extreme exasperation, I deleted my account realizing my mistake long made, and wrote Why I hate Orkut
Check out dude..from one in your league!
I agree with you - but just to be devil's advocate - don't you think your past has had some effect on you? - past being not some vague nostalgic feeling - but the real flesh & blood (people) that you used interact with (or not)? -
the choices in life that made you what you are - especially those whom you choose NOT to interact? - i believe our personalities are influenced by elimination process- people whom we choose to keep them a distance. if for nothing, its always good to reminded to "count our blessings" - how far we have come and point to the direction of how far we want to go from here.
too philosophical? - apologies in advance.
I have mixed feelings about orkut - I like to know that those that I used to call friends are ok - and greet maybe on holidays, b'days etc - on the other hand I do understand that we are worlds apart and have very little in common except our common past.
hi,
I found that orkut gives us a false sense of "i've many friends" when we are still the same and still have the small bunch of trusted friends.And i was smart enough to copy only their e-mails to my address book in gmail before i got rid of Orkut.I need only e-mail to contact my real friends,not a place where all the exhbition-lovers are sprawled across displaying their new car,new book they're reading,new Whatever!!!
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