There was a time, not so long ago, when a girl named Mohini lived in the real world. There was no internet, e-mail, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat or any other virtual online platforms in that world. People visited each other, talked face to face, wrote letters and sometimes talked on the phone. Mohini loved her little real world. She visited her friends and relatives regularly, wrote frequently to those who lived in other cities, occasionally spoke to them over the phone.  Mohini loved writing – poetry, short stories, sometimes just her fleeting thoughts. In the journal next to her bedside table she would write every night before going to bed. Mohini’s family and friends encouraged her to write. She was often requested to read from her work in social gatherings, her poems were published in school magazines. Mohini hoped to publish her writings someday, reach a wider audience.

                                                                                                     Image courtesy nyooz.com

Then one day the virtual world came into being. People talked to each other less and less, they chatted in WhatsApp groups or Facebook messenger or just Snapchatted. Letters, journals and family albums went out of vogue. People posted pictures, posts and messages in social media platforms. Orkut came and went. The generation moved from verbose Facebook, to picturesque Instagram, to funny & pictures only Snapchat. Of course, there’s professional LinkedIn and opinionated Twitter. The virtual media expanded our horizons, helped us connect with long lost friends. Soon we could connect and converse with people sitting in another end of the world in jiffy.

To Mohini, the virtual world presented the audience that she was aspiring for. She started posting her poems in Facebook and Instagram, created separate pages. The encouraging and sometimes the critical readers of the virtual world stimulated her. She connected with so many wonderful people, joined groups that helped her read and write better. She learnt about writing competitions and contests happening across the world.  “These are wonderful platforms that are taking me closer to my dreams,” she thought happily. She felt safe in the virtual world; it gave her the space to create without being judged.

But Mohini’s illusion of a safe and unprejudiced virtual world soon came crashing! The virtual world inherited all the vices and the prejudices of the real world, the wider audience only made things worse. There was no privacy anymore, once you posted something in the virtual world it was out there for everyone to see and comment on. Soon, there were virtual stalkers who terrified Mohini. She felt so harassed that she went off social media platforms for a while. She came back wiser and blocked her stalkers from all her social media sites. “Thank god for technology that allows us to block such vile people,” she sighed in relief.

Though the stalkers were gone the incessant pinging, messenger calls, uncomfortable questions irritated Mohini. “Are you single?”, “How old are you?” “Would you care to date an older man?”, “Madam what’s your idea of love?”, “Can I have your number?” etc. etc. Though there are separate platforms for dating and match making, citizens of the virtual world just didn’t seem to realize the difference. The virtual world evolved and grew so fast that virtual citizens probably failed to realize that this world too is governed by etiquette, as much as the real world.

For Mohini the virtual world is exciting albeit its draw backs and irritants. She valued the friendships and associations she made in the virtual media platforms and decided to share her reflections with her virtual friends…

Dear friends,

I am glad we connected virtually! We have shared so much and learnt from each other’s experiences. I read your wonderful poems and short stories, learnt about new things, visited places I never knew existed. Your fresh perspectives and views inspired me. You are my wise audience you who help me write better!

But sometimes we forget that the virtual world is like our drawing room. We showcase what we are comfortable sharing, so let’s not peek into each other’s bedrooms. Let’s respect privacy and boundaries and make this journey enjoyable and meaningful!

Virtually yours,

Mohini