Chat Attack

I have been intending to write about Internet Communication through instant messaging, or simply put Internet Chat for quite a while, but was just too lazy to do so. Today, I am being deprived of the internet as the link is down in my hostel, so, I felt that I should write about it as I don’t have anything better to do. I am not going to write about how it works or how it has made communication easier, brought people closer etc etc... I am just going to write about my state of mind when it comes to Instant Messaging and my philosophy behind my status messages. It is probably a very irrelevant topic for most people, who actually have something to do in life, but the basic premise that defines people who bother to read my blog is that they (which is you) have nothing better to do in life at that point of time. This is a pathetic attempt on your part to bring some colour to your otherwise dull, dreary existence (Don’t get me wrong, your reading my blog is highly appreciated, leaving a comment will be even more appreciated).

I was exposed to the internet when I was 12 years old and at that time it didn’t really interest me too much, so I preferred playing games instead. I had very little idea about what chat was at that time so I hardly talked to anyone over the net for the first few years. Eventually when I got to know how the thing worked, I was hooked for a while, but it was a pretty short phase. Soon, many of my friends became net addicts and I could finally develop a friend list. Of course, we had a very slow connection at the time, so it was more convenient to talk to them over the phone, and it was much quicker and cheaper as well. Internet and especially Chat became an effective tool once I reached college and all my friends were segregated in different cities of our country. We were independent for the first time and making phone calls was fairly expensive, so this was a much cheaper alternative. Also, almost everyone in my college had internet access so talking to them became easier as well. SMS was free where I did my engineering but if the person was online in front of you, it was easier this way. There were plenty of sessions talking to friends in different hostels, or just abusing the other person for the fun of it. Often 2-3 people would notice one guy online and then release the floodgates with a barrage of curses and abuses, with a reciprocal response as well.

Chat really became effective during vacations to stay in touch with everyone. There is a particular cadre of friends who are good friends, but not good enough for you to actually call them up, these are the ones with whom Internet becomes the only method of communication (I am not sure how many people have different categories of friends. I know I have several distinct categories). Social networking sites have also helped a lot in this regard. Now I am in my third phase of life as I am doing my MBA and so I have three types of friends in my contact list. Friends from school, the ones from my engineering, and the ones who are my current batch mates. One very weird observation that I made was that despite having a much larger number of friends from Engineering in my contact list, I seem to notice more of my MBA friends in my chat list nowadays. During my engineering it was with my friends from college. This seems weird, to me at least, but this is what is happening somehow and I have not been able to come up with a reasonable explanation for the same.

I have some fairly clear cut principles when it comes to Instant Messaging. I always keep my status as busy, so that I have plausible deniability in case I do not reply to a person for any reason whatsoever. In the few rare occasions that I am actually “Available”, it normally means I am absolutely free and am encouraging people to talk to me. I have had complaints from people that I don’t initiate conversations, but I have a reason for that. I normally assume that people have something better to do in life than actually talk to me, so I mostly wait for them to start the dialog. I don’t want to intrude or feel unwanted which prohibits me from starting conversations. Besides, it may be coincidental, but you often notice someone online when you log in and they instantly go offline, sometimes I can’t help but wonder whether the person wishes to avoid me, so I avoid starting conversations as far as I can.

Status Messages are a fairly new concept. I know it has been around for a couple of years, but I never really gave it too much of a thought until recently when people started coming up with interesting and innovative messages. I have some principles which guide my status messages as well. I mostly use status messages written in Third Person, so that it seems that I have said that thing, or am saying that at that point of time. They may also be something absolutely irrelevant and idiotic, and at this point of time I would like to quote a couple of them. My favourite one is : “Sachai Jeetegi Jab Loha Chalega, Aandhi Ke Saath Darwaza Khulega” and one that I kept for a while is “ Tam Tamatar Tam, Tamatar Khayein Hum, Angrez Ka Bacha Kya Jaane, Angrezi Jaane Hum”. These are absolutely irrelevant messages which normally indicate that I am either irritated or in one of my hyperactive phases. Interaction at this time can be entertaining or perilous.

My third person messages normally indicate my willingness or lack of it to talk and contain subtle sarcasm which I feel people will understand. Not that most people do. For some people my status messages are irrelevant, for them I am always available, unless and until I am idle, which means that I am away from the computer at that point of time and will genuinely not be able to respond. Sometimes, though not often, I am actually busy and feel that the other person should not contact me, but my innovative messages bring about my downfall, which is a paradox. Of late my status message has made a futile attempt to promote my blog, so I am not sure how many people will actually read what I have written here.
Chat has been a lot of fun, and it is normally fun to analyse the status messages of others as well. Some people believe that their status message should reflect every event that is happening in their life, and when they are online, you know what they are undergoing at that point of time. I don’t subscribe to this school of thought and often mock such people. Others believe in having quotes or random messages, depending on their mood. Some people don’t like using this feature and just use the default “Available” or “Busy” messages. Some people have weird messages which often compel me to ask them what it means. It is of course a welcome feature, and adds a degree of personalisation and uniqueness to your profile and helps in understanding whether the other person is willing to interact or not.

I can’t end this without mentioning display names and images. I feel quite irritated by people who change their names according to the situation, sometimes it becomes difficult to know who the person actually is. During vacations there can be several people who have a name ‘back home’. Now understanding which is which becomes a fairly daunting task. Display images are another issue. I get really annoyed by people who use pictures of celebrities as their images, I fail to see the logic behind it. Random images of inanimate objects or patterns are still better in my opinion, but there is a probability of more than one person having the same image. Of course if you can put up your own picture, that definitely makes the most sense to me.

If you feel I have written something inappropriate or you want to discuss something, send me an IM, or leave a comment. We can Chat and sort it out.


expression [ik-spresh-uh n] 
–noun
1. The act of expressing or setting forth in words: the free expression of political opinions.
2. A particular word, phrase, or form of words: old-fashioned expressions.
3. The manner or form in which a thing is expressed in words; wording; phrasing: delicacy of expression.
4. The power of expressing in words: joy beyond expression.
5. Indication of feeling, spirit, character, etc., as on the face, in the voice, or in artistic execution: the lyric expression embodied in his poetry.
6. The quality or power of expressing an attitude, emotion, etc.:a face that lacks expression; to read with expression.
7. the act of expressing or representing, as by symbols.
8. Linguistics. the stylistic characteristics of an utterance (opposed to meaning).
9. Linguistics. the system of verbal utterances specific to a language (opposed to content).