Differently wired - 3

The buzz fluctuates
Depending on the gossip
Whether hot or cold
I sit at my table and watch the pc come alive reluctantly. To ensure that it has its privacy while turning itself on for my pleasure, I leave my table and take a walk to the washroom and then to the coffee machine for a nice hot cup of my favourite ‘filter kapi’ of Bengaluru. Due to my inability for indulging in office or any other gossip I return to my table and feel happy to enter the virtual world. That is my comfort zone. I find it so strange that I find it easier to deal with people virtually than in the real world. In the virtual world they are real people but are so different. The reason could be that one need not be politically correct out there and just turn on or off depending on your moods and if asked can always blame an erratic internet connection. Virtually, you can manipulate the conversation and the time taken for a reply without sounding foolish. People also find it easier to compliment or dumb down someone on the internet. These days bloggers have started forming mutual admiration societies to ensure the maximisation of hits their blogs receive. Actually there is no harm in being nice. As someone famously said, ‘if you don’t have anything nice to say hold your silence.’