15 Reasons why the New generation uses Facebook

Don’t be surprised when I say that 81% of Generation Y (born between 1980 and 2000) use Facebook or that a whooping majority of Gen Z (born after 2000) are constantly ‘connected’, are emotionally attached to their devices and they prefer to connect online more than face to face.

Gen Y is now their 20s and Gen Z are now kids or getting into teens. Together they make the new generation. I am sure you have one of them near you -in all probability in your family as your son or daughter or in your school/colleges as students or in your organizations as an employee.

The new Generation feels that it is very important for them to stay connected. However since they are constrained with time, even as they call themselves a bit ‘socially lazy’, they prefer 'online' to stay connected. The new generation is heavily connected on social media, for personal, social and professional reasons.

Despite the advent of other instant messaging services, Facebook outscores everything else in social networking. My research on the new generation has thrown up reasons behind the continued popularity of Facebook . New Generations feels Facebook helps them to stay connected and use it for one or more reasons.

Here are the top 15 -

1. The new generation is generally curious and Facebook helps them to know what’s going on in the lives of others. It also helps them to know personal things about other people in a very impersonal way.
   
   
2. Facebook helps them stay abreast with the major life events of their friends and acquaintances.
   
   
3. It helps them to bridge the gap of distance and time that they suffer with their friends and remain in touch.
   
   
4. Facebook helps them to forge and nurture relationships. Birthday, anniversary wishing is very common.
   
   
5. Many use Facebook to engage with brands.
   
   
6. Facebook helps them improve their networking skills.
   
   
7. They use Facebook to maintain close friends-group camaraderie.
   
   
8. Facebook helps them compare their life and live an aspirational life.
   
   
9. At times even brag, boast and make others jealous or simply get the ‘Likes’.
   
   
10. Facebook helps them to know and share interesting stuff (updates - information, photos, selfies and jokes).
    
    
11. Helps them earn virtual currency (for example Facebook Credit, Farmville Cash and Microsoft Points).
    
    
12. Promote their work (Facebook pages).
    
    
13. Search lost friends.
    
    
14. Seek help.
    
    
15. Beat loneliness.

Some of them also use LinkedIn for professional networking. They also heavily use their smartphones and messaging apps like Whats App to stay connected. Many are constantly on Whats App.

What’s interesting is that the line between online and offline is blurring for the new generation and for them it is parallel existence in both these worlds. They find it strange when their parents, teachers or employers ask them to give up their gadgets, or come out of the online world or restrict their social media usage. For them the online and offline world are one and the same, one diffusing into the other.

Ah! Calcutta

Yes, I know it changed into Kolkata sometime back. But I wonder other than what really changed in Kolkata or for that matter in West Bengal. Yes, there has been a change in government, now Manna Da's songs play at traffic light junctions...but has something significant altered? 

When last I visited Kolkata after a gap of about 12 years, I expected lot to have altered in the city. But to my utter surprise I found Kolkata to be pretty much the same ... same taxis, same rickshaws, same streets, same roadside sellers at Garihat, same nowhere-leading political debates 'on the rock' at corners of the lanes...just nothing seemed to have changed or say changed for the good.

Recently, Calcutta....err...sorry, Kolkata has been in news for city being decorated and decked up for the FIFA world cup soccer. I thought world cup was happening in Brazil... ok! the news reports suggest that Kolkata streets decoration make it resemble like Sao Paulo. Great, so the city is celebrating.

Last time they were celebrating was about a week back when KKR won the IPL T20 cricket title. A official celebration was organized at Eden Gardens! It is another story that except the name Kolkata in KKR, there is hardly anything that resembles the city or the state. Celebrating again...for someone else achievements and some others' feats. Good, very philanthropic but I really wonder when the city and the state will start celebrating for itself and for what it does.

All economic indicators show that the city and the state as a whole is decaying and dying a slow death. Bengal’s GSDP or Gross State Domestic Product has shown a consistent slide downwards and the state ranked a poor 23^rd place if we look at the average growth rates over 2001-12. 

Agricultural growth has slowed down. In fact it has shown a negative growth. Industrial sector in West Bengal has also seen a slowdown. The average growth rates fell over the past decade, while even states like Orissa showed improvement. Remember this is the state that gave Tatas a complimentary drive out of the state.

West Bengal ranks very poorly in terms of per capita income among all the Indian states. West Bengal continues to be one of the poorest states in India. According a UNDP Human Development report published some time back, acute poverty prevails in the state. As per the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) study done in India West Bengal along with 7 other states in India together have more poor people than in the 26 poorest African nations combined!!!

The MPI assesses a range of factors or “deprivations” at the household level as well as income and assets. These include: child mortality, nutrition, access to clean drinking water, sanitation, cooking fuel, electricity, and years of schooling and child enrollment. A person is considered poor if they are deprived in at least 30 percent of the weighted indicators. West Bengal is home to the third largest number of poor people.

As per the Institute of Competitiveness report, states Nagaland and West Bengal are contributing to the greatest amount of misery to Indian economy. They run the risk of going into stagflation (an economic condition characterized by high Inflation and high unemployment). High degree of joblessness combined with steep rise in prices has pushed-up West Bengal’s ‘Misery Index’.

But most Bengalis revel in this misery. Misery makes them feel that their cause is still alive…Korbo Lorbo Jeetbo – the last word though does not quite rhyme with misery. Poems on misery, songs on misery, street plays on misery, even nostalgic about greater miseries in the past. Perhaps, misery is too dear to be let off! As Suman Chattopadhyay says - ' Preference for melancholia over enterprise is deeply embedded in the Bengali psyche.'

All the intellectual power of Bengal does not seem to know how to stop the down slide slip of the state and the city. West Bengal needs more of business-friendly climate, more enterprises, jobs, income and less of politics, ‘bondhs’, and populist rhetoric by the political leaders.

For now though the offering seems to be one year property tax holiday for those who colour their houses or building in white and blue. Welcome to the party!

I again wonder, taxes also drying up…from where will the money come now in the state coffers? That was the only source, after all.

Who cares? 

Misery is still there and poets, song writers are busy. By the way in Bengal every house has a poet.

Being a Bengali myself who is born, bred and lived out of Bengal, the sight of Kolkata city and Bengal state crumbling down is a miserable sight and thought. And I am not writing any poems. 

Ah! Calcutta...

Not Quite Exotic, Ms. Chopra

Having streets, buildings, parks, stadiums, markets, airports etc. named after one’s name or in the name of one’s family member remains the perpetual fancy of most people in this nation.

The latest to join this bandwagon is Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra who wants to get a street, in the commercial heartland of the country Mumbai, named after her late father. Her dreams appear to becoming reality soon with the local municipal commission approving her request.

Ms. Chopra’s father who served the Indian army as doctor had a distinguished service and this is by no means to disrespect his soul or to belittle his achievements. But if a road is named after him, then there are thousands of others equally or more deserving service men and women, some of whom have even laid their lives for the nation, who deserve similar honour. The brave policemen who laid their lives during the 26/11 terror attack on Mumbai city, the Taj Hotel General Manager who lost his wife and two sons while trying to save other guests… will we have a street named after each of them? The ordinary tax payer who pays through his nose for the construction of all these roads…will one of them ever get a street named after him/her? 

Besides, in this case it is the family pressing for a street to be renamed, not as if the nation or the Mumbai city is conferring this honour. How can personal tribute be paid in the form of claiming a right on a public property? Personal grief and tribute are best in private, not for public display. 

Ms. Chopra could have done a world of good to start a social campaign for the girl child or for orphan kids in her father’s name, with a small portion of her own millions.

Sycophancy and ego-massage never ever ceases on this land.  If you are rich and/or powerful you can pretty much get any public property named after yourself or after your family member. If that is not enough, then even get the public to sing praises of the same.