In today’s world of internet and technology, people rarely make an effort to meet each other and indulge in short refreshing chit-chats. Even the intention behind most celebrations is limited to taking photos and uploading them on social media.

Catching up with friends and engaging in a gadget-free conversation has started to sound bizarre. People of all ages are increasingly interested in social networking sites and new technologies, where phones are smarter than human beings. Not having friends in real life may not matter today, but not having a social media account is embarrassing.

The growing use of social media has replaced physical bonding with virtual communication. Humans are called social beings, but this status may no longer be relevant. Many youngsters today like to call themselves anti-social and would rather prefer to only communicate virtually.

Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat are some of the social media that have transformed communication. These social media have become windows for everyone to peek into one another’s worlds.

A few days back, I made plans to meet my friends and catch up. Eager and excited, we arrived at one of my friend’s place on time, and immediately got busy in a wild conversation. We were sharing our hectic schedules and other grievances until one of my friends asked if we had noticed the sari that Binisha was wearing at the party last night. “I saw her photos on facebook. She looked stunning and the jewelries were simply elegant. She makes sure to wear exclusive jewelries whenever she goes to a party,” she said.

That is when everyone started to talk about our other friends who had been to holidays, bought new house, gotten married, or had children recently. After a long and heated discussion regarding other’s personal lives based on the photos they had uploaded on various social media, one my friends decided that she would quit using such networks because it made her feel miserable for having a plain and ordinary life.

I asked my friends to brush aside the facebook gossip as it was a much awaited gathering. I wanted to enjoy every minute of it sharing our own life stories. However, this did not stop them, and the get-together ultimately turned out annoying.

Though technology has become a communication bridge, it has its own dark side. The best part of social media is that they have indeed connected people far and wide. Geographical constraints are no more considered barriers. However, not all that’s been uploaded on social media is true. People might have a drastically different and boring life than they virtually boast to have.

Although social media is recreational and is used to beat off boredom as well as loneliness, people have turned them into Pandora’s Box.

Sulochana is a lecturer at Nepal College of Management in Dhobighat, Lalitpur