Historically, Facebook.com has touched the life of 500 millionth individual, knocking down any other social sites of the world. Six years back when facebook was started exclusively for Harvard students, nobody had predicted that this University specific social network will spin the world’s major social and political situations so efficiently. Apparently, no other virtual platform has ever become so successful and so addictable.
India, the second most populous and the largest democratic country has also come under the wave of Facebook’s uprising, how it affected India and Indians? just an opinion of mine, if it really matters for you.
India just after a month is going to celebrate its 64th Independence Day. A country which has witnessed 200 years of colonial rule, bloodshed, fighting for its freedom and finally setting up the largest democracy which also has strong social authority in its vastly spread land of 1 billion people, thousands of regional languages and millions of castes.
Lamentably, since its independence India is struggling enormously with various socio-political issues, commercial set back and many other serious social subjects. But there was no way a common Indian citizen can come forward, speak openly or convey their message except assigning this job to political leaders or join politics themselves to make the desirable changes into action. Still, this is not an effective idea, corruption is so deeply rooted in Indian politics that the voice of common mass is always squashed. The only option left is local media, but not every voice reach media or it can connect citizens together for a specific purpose.
Practically nor every Indian loves to be a politician neither everyone can be a journalist.
There came an era of Internet and Technology which fetched the new approach of people connecting by emails and chat. Next came social networking which was more effective than the former options of linking a common citizen to other hundred and thousands of civilians, this is known as Social Media Revolution. Blogs, online communities and social network backed the most needed way of transporting views, ideas and thoughts of a common man to the world.
In India, social network was used for fun, flirt and forgery because nobody was fully aware of its potential. But, now after 6 years, development of social network can be seen clearly, Indians changed the way they used to behave online, they started using social network for a cause whether personal, professional or social reasons. Social Network turned into a social media platform to share something important to uncountable number of people.
Orkut.com was the first successful social network in India which connected millions of Indians together for the first time. Although it was something very new for Indians, because the site and its users were both undeveloped and not inured to each other but gradually, they reached a point when orkut became more than just a source to “connect with school friends”. Orkut’s user created online communities gave a blow to the thought of an individual to other likeminded people in a group.
Alas, Orkut could not keep its charm till long because of many personal, security and technical reasons. Indians started looking for a better alternative because after using orkut for 4 years they needed something more powerful, more secure and wider.
Here comes Facebook which was also started in the same year Google introduced Orkut. But, facebook was limited to specific people. When it was made open to all it was a start of an unending online success story.
In India, when facebook came into limelight it was taken as “complicated” and “boring” for orkut users but facebook played well with their marketing strategies (using local media and celebrities to join it) and it worked well, slowly it became a favorite social site for most of the internet savvy Indians.
Now facebook has became a global stage for Indians to speak against anything unacceptable without any restrictions or fear, facebook gave opportunity to be a leader of self created virtual tribe, virtual followers, listeners and readers.
In reality Indians were never so Independent even after the Independence. Today, Facebook has created history in changing the way people used to think about connecting with each other virtually which is directly affecting in real life.
Facebook is now a lifestyle, a language, a powerful community and a global society of 500 million people and more than 9 million Indians who can transform societies with their refurbish and broader outlook.
Congratulations Facebook and Happy Independence Day India…!!
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Happy Independence Day to you to Zazo. I totally agree with you. Internet has changed the face of India.
Happy Independence Day to all Zazo Followers:-). I agree with your freedom factor, but I am just eager to know out of >9 Million, how many of them are active users. Are we still lacking in Advertisement…
Internet has not only changed india, but the entire social fabric of the world. This is indeed the new era of social and political independence.