What is considered good manners in this modern era? 28 year old civil servant Mohamed Rafi attended a wedding with a twist, the groom was updating his Facebook page throughout the whole ceremony. He was telling the world via this social network when he was making his costume change and how he was feeling throughout.
Welcome to the strange new world of social networking, smart phones that enable you to go online anywhere anytime (with the help of Wi-Fi everywhere of course) and instant messaging. Others happen to call this the new world of bad manners. With the rise of tech-savvy generation, old fashioned notions of privacy and even shame appear to have been outstripped by the demands of online and real-time communication. (It means, people who use to just go about minding their own business has gotten the opportunity to post their business to the world like a paparazzi and celebrity in one body!)
Let’s look at the phenomena happening in this new world of the impolite. Mark Sparrow, managing director of Kelly Services, Singapore said that shortened and abbreviated communication (SMS language) is becoming a common thing in workplaces. Examples are “ppl” for people, “thx”/”TQ” for thank you and “cfm” for confirm. These short forms which were originally intended for fast and easy typing on the phone has also become part of the language used in emails.
Furthermore, there is even the free online ‘drama’ of couples’ interaction via their Facebook statuses or Tweets. If you want some melodrama, there are quarrel and status wars. If you want a love story, there are also updates on what “my sweet darling did for me on our 5th week anniversary” If reading statuses are not enough, just wait for the everyday self portraits of the couples face sticking together like 2 lovely sugar buns. Aww…… how sweet… (pun not intended!)
Then there are the minute reporters who literally update you with everything that is happening every minute! Wake up in the morning, “Good morning everyone!” Goes for breakfast after a few moments, “I’m having cereal now. Yummy!” Yupp, you don’t have to worry about missing out on anything! Assistant Professor Micahel Netzley of Singapore Management University (SMU) says much of this behavior is due to “increased transparency and narcissism” INDEED!
Minute reporter
The easy access of loading information about yourself online is making everyone become obsessive about “me”. “If I don’t like the online experience I am havin, I click the mouse button and immediately go to something else in the endless stream of content” he adds. This is true because people go by ‘out of sight, out of mind’. They think that by not seeing their old posts, the posts don’t exist anymore when in reality, those nasty remarks or the embarrassing picture is still around. You just don’t see it, but nothing can be permanently erased from the internet unless you do so. Content doesn’t just disappear on its own in the cyber realm. This is especially apparent among teenagers and young adults who share their personal experiences and ‘cool party videos’ a little too carefree online. Imagine what future employers would think of you when they see a video of you drunk on the dance floor. Yes, companies actually do that to have a background check on their potential employees. Your personal image counts and with a simple search on Google, your every social network account can be found, try it!
Reference: Reader’s Digest April 2011 issue written by Nicholas Yong and Huang Huifen
Images are from Reader's Digest article
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