Since my novel One
Amazing Thing was published a couple of months ago, I've been doing a lot
of interviews. At some point, interviewers usually ask me about my use of
social media--my blog, my twitter account, my Facebook author page. I cringe,
because I know what's coming next. "You haven't been too regular about writing
on your blog recently, have you?" I try to make excuses--travel, family
emergencies, a new writing project, Ph.D. dissertations to read at the
university. But I know they won't do. And indeed, canny interviewers see
through them all. "I notice you've been pretty active on your Facebook page,"
they'll say. "You write there every day, sometimes even two or three times
daily."
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So I've decided to own up. Yes. I've been seduced by
Facebook.
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In trying to figure out why this is so (the blog, is after
all, a creative, thoughtful medium where one can convey more meaningful meditations),
I've come up with the following reasons.
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I have
a better sense of who's on my Facebook page. I admit that it's limited to a (perhaps
photoshopped) image, a few questions or comments, or their answer to my discussion
topic, "Who Are You, Dear Reader?" Still, it's better than the fake-name spammers
that deluge my blog in the hopes that I will post their website. ("Wow cool
I didn't knew this thanks." "My mate referred me here. Thank God he did. I
will make a point to read your blog daily." "Intimately, the post is in
reality the greatest on that notable topic." And my favorite, which I
almost posted: "I can only cringe as I read this stuff. All I do is smile in
disagreement.")
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Since
mine is a public author page, members are all there for some reason
related to my books. They are readers. (Granted, some are forced to become
readers by their teachers. But still).And so we have discussions about my books, which often broaden into
discussions on literature. People list their favorite authors. People put
up poems that have touched them. We discuss the philosophy behind the
work.We discuss literacy nonprofits like Pratham, or Arts organizations like Writers in the Schools and Inprint Houston. Sometimes I quote lines and
challenge people to tell me who the author is. (Alright, so
people cheat and use google search. It's all part of the fun).
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The
responses are immediate. I confess, I'm part of our instant gratification
culture, and it makes a difference that 5 seconds after I put up an entry,
there are 4 likes on my page. In a few hours, there are comments and
responses. It creates a sense of community, and in some cases, has given
me deep comfort. When my mother was gravely ill in India,
I asked for prayers on my facebook page before I boarded my flight. By the
time I reached India,
there were several scores of comments, offering prayers and wishing me
luck and strength. When she passed away and I put that in an update, within
a day, fifty or so Facebook friends had consoled me by sharing their stories
of loss and their coping mechanisms. It was very helpful, and a lot easier
to deal with than phone calls from friends and family, whose sympathy only
made me break down each time. It was also very touching that all these
people--who really, after all, had no reason to care for my sorrow--took
time out of their busy lives to express that caring.
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There are other great things about
Facebook. Maybe I'll write about them in Seduced II. But I have to end now. I
need to check on the responses to that writing tip I put up on my page (in
between writing this article) 12 seconds ago.