From 15th August early morning onwards, my mobile started beeping
continuously. I thought it was an emergency and checked. They were the
"FORWARDED Independence Day" messages. I went back to sleep.
Later in the day, out of curiosity, I started counting them.
100, 200... then I stopped.
What can be the objective of sending such messages?
For few it is just a habit. Some, subtly and cleverly, use
it as an advertisement. For many it is an opportunity to wear the badge of
patriotism on their chest. Interestingly, there is a large group for whom all
these occasions are a reason to take that nostalgic trip down the memory lane.
Reasons can be many and they all will be valid. But, is it
that harmless? Whether we like it or not, every message sent on a WhatsApp
group intrude the private space of another person. Imagine hundreds of
greetings cards getting delivered at your door steps on each festival!!
We can argue this is done on virtual space. Even a child
knows that every message consumes space and data. Many a times it is dumped
into my private space, without my consent. It fills my precious and costly
space with information which I don't require.
I am not getting into socio political relevance of
forwarding such messages. My intention is to raise a simple question- what are
we gaining by forwarding such messages, which invariably intrude into many
private spaces?
Will, not forwarding such messages make me less patriotic?
By evening the enthusiasm wane. The stream of messages reduces.
You heave a sigh of relief and get down to the laborious task of deleting all
those unwanted messages.
I wonder, when I delete the messages, where do they go? Are
they getting stored somewhere to be forwarded next year? Am I moving it
temporarily to another space just to receive it back?
I don't mind a hand typed wish. I will even appreciate a
wish which is either creative or which comes from one's heart. My request is to
halt for a moment and ask yourself whether such a message will add any value.
I wanted to write this note yesterday, but was busy deleting
all those messages, since I got warning from WhatsApp about my storage space.
Yes, I have deleted all those messages and it has not
reduced my love for my country a bit
