Never Trust an Emoticon

My dad would often warn me – “Never trust people you meet online”…infact he was of the school of thought that anything that happens online is the seed of evil – and post a few “experiences” I have started agreeing with him more than I previously did. Thus the post – Never Trust an Emoticon. I’m sure we are all aware of what emoticons are – those smiley thingies that appear when you use a combination of various punctuation marks…People online are fake – that is something I can vouch for. Gone are the days when I was a scrawny, oily haired 13 year old posing to be blonde hair blue eyes…I have learnt bigger lessons in life from my various online associations. The virtual world is full of posers – or maybe that’s how I’ve come to perceive them after several bad experiences. I blame it on the fact that you can’t express emotions through yellow face like smiley thingies – because you only have that many punctuation marks leading to that many emotions. Ask yourself – how many times have you used LOL, LMAO, :)) etc even when you are sitting across the computer sulking – the person on the other end rightfully assumes that you are consumed with fits of laughter because of some lame joke they cracked. 

All this said and done – there are still those people who spend a majority of their waking hours online, chatting with people they have never met/people who probably don’t even exist as they have described themselves/people who you fondly refer to as “friends”…such people are branded geeks/dorks/dweebs/losers etc by other “cool” people but they exist – I know because at one point in my life I was one of them. I found it cool to make friends all across the globe…so much so that I even had a relationship online (how cool is that!) – But I’d rather not talk about that in this context. Back to my net buddies/virtual friends – some people are in it for the pleasure and are quite explicit about that…e.g. the minute you enter a chat room and exchange asl’s (for the uninitiated asl = age/sex/location) you are immediately asked your bra size (if s = f) or the dimensions of your family jewel (if s = m). Such people are perves in my eyes but to each his own – who am I to judge. Then there are those who come online – grab your attention by sounding intelligent (maybe they are maybe they aren’t) and then begin endless conversations – that lead to nowhere but they make you think otherwise. Such people are the deadly lot…they say things they don’t mean, but always sugar coat it with the fact that they don’t want to lead you on – constantly reminding you how they are “different”. The things they say make you start developing a sort of connection with them – one that leads to heartache inevitably in most cases. 

So you talk, they respond – they talk, you respond…the cycle continues till a point where talking to them becomes the highlight of your day - a lot of times they are leading sad miserable lives and despite all that are more than willing to help you solve your petty issues *angels from heaven*…things are said…feelings shared –albeit with all caution- and you are done for…and once you’re in the thick of things the axe gets dropped…like all men – the chase is better than the catch…excuses are made – distance is created – as the best friend/lover/bff vanishes into the horizon…and then you’re left alone thinking WHAT WENT WRONG? They may/may not surface after a huge sabbatical but the interaction will be cold – stone cold or colder…the cordial hello – the oh so polite how are you – the “oh hey there stranger” kind of treatment…and then it will register in your dimly lit brain – this was all a farse! Emoticons are not to be trusted! Why didn’t you think before you acted? Why didn’t you take heed of the people around you who constantly reminded you that what happens in the virtual world stays in the virtual world…you are broken – the person on the other end doesn’t see why – it doesn’t really matter – how difficult would it be for them to wipe off their very existence from the virtual world?

P.s this post was written with no intension of hurting anyone or with any particular person in mind - if you see yourself in this post then hard luck - it cant be helped