With the advent of amazing technologies and far-ahead devices we people have started living a virtual life on social media like facebook, twitter, whatsapp and what not. Now-a-days from teens to young adults to parents, everybody enjoys the perk of this overrated surreal online life. But do we really enjoy the presence of our parents in this custom made clique of bits and bytes? For some it can be yes but for others it can be a big no no.
Parents have inadvertently entered “our self created” glamorous world of social media. They definitely mean no harm but are little embarrassing sometimes with their overwhelming love for us on the social networking platform (I guess you know what I mean). Sometimes because of their not so cool status and kinda spying nature we “unfriend” them from our so called friend list. But parents will be parents and we really can’t stop them from spying on us, it is their masked duty. It is their prerogative to be concerned for us after all it is a ‘bad bad world outside’ (as our parents say). And thanks to social networking websites for given in a helping hand.
Apart from the spying advantage there are few reasons which are less known. The secret is they too enjoy their life in this virtual world. My parents are more adept at using facebook and whatsapp than me. They know more stuff than we do, have joined more groups than we have, ‘chat’ more than we do!!! They post pictures, share stuff and spend hours on it, just like we do. Are they reliving their teenage years? I guess yes! and why not? They too have the right to enjoy the marvelous inventions of the 21st century and re-connect with their family and friends. Quoting my experience, I am sometimes astonished on seeing my Dad and Mom so active on whatsaap. They have made so many groups through which they are constantly in touch with their friends and me. Trust me! Parents are no less when it comes to the “dp” craze. Whenever posing for a picture, my mom is like “acche se lele, I want to make this my dp”(take this pic nicely, I want make it my display pic)! So in a nutshell we can conclude that parents do sometimes act as if they are still sweet sixteen. And there is absolutely nothing wrong in it. Or is there any?
Parents On Social Media! Boon Or Bane?
Now-a-days parents prefer “whatsapping” their children to inquire about their whereabouts than calling them. They are now expert at sending images, making groups, etc, etc on whatsapp. It is an advantage I feel for us specially if you are living away from your parents. In this world of 2G,3G, 4G and hopefully 5G it is so easy for us to stay connected with our friends and family.
That was on the positive note but some run away from their parents on social media, like facebook. They un-friend them and sometimes even block them. They don’t really appreciate if anybody tries to intervene, not even their parents. But that is okay! We all experience this phase when we want to be independent and don’t want anybody not even our parents to baby sit us all the time. This is when we resort to these social media escapes and want no interruption. For such people, parents on social media are like hidden wolves ready for attack. Apart from the privacy issues, they are embarrassed by the childhood images, family videos and stuff parents upload. So to sum it all they ‘avoid parents on social networking sites’.
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Parents, those who are on social media and those who are not, can’t be really compared. Every parent is different. It really can’t be generalized. The most important thing is how we tackle this issue(if we find it an issue). We can and should support them and tutor them so that they can also enjoy it. Or should we ignore them and live a secret ‘personal’ life?
Now that we have all the technologies and so many platforms that helps to connect with people, why not let our parents explore them. Why not let them get connected with their long lost friends and bring back that feeling of joy, excitement and the opportunities to relive the years gone by. That smile of joy on their face, after all, is priceless.
What are your thoughts? Are you happy and comfortable to be friends with your parents on social media platforms? Or you find it more awkward and embarrassing? Do share your thoughts in the comment below.