Convenient Conversations

I sometimes wonder why am I online on Windows Live Messenger so often and for such long hours.

• To maintain a presence in the virtual space?

• To gloat over someone's unfortunate personal message or even display name?

• To scroll through the list of malfunctioning traffic lights for the fun of it?

• To "Appear Offline" and play the game of hide-and-seek with someone you didn't want to talk to for a while?
  

• To avoid unnecessary chit chat by assuming either "Busy" or "Away" status when you're really "Available"?
  

The list goes on.

Honestly, I don't take online conversations seriously at all, without doubt, I absolutely abhor online discussions as well; unless the tone connotes the gravity or urgency of a situation that mandates one.

If staple expressions such as "lol" isn't enough (most of the time, unnecessary), imagine flashy emoticons plastered all over the conversation; is that even a conversation to begin with? Looks more like pasting pretty stickers on my screen and watching them glow, glitter; even gyrate, you name it!

"L" couldn't take the punching and faded away, "O" is following suit.

I am of course guilty as charged; I still use "lol", among other Internet jargon, to express my amusement at certain things my friends say or show me, but I have gotten over using emoticons, with the exception of the occasional "=)" when I'm truly grateful towards someone, but more on that later.

While I'm almost certain that the copywriter in me hasn't scorned at anyone who commits grammatical or spelling errors; which I will intently notice but keep it within my monologue, I cringe and squint at the premise of illegible words, like the unholy matrimony of letters and numbers to form a word, and the random uppercase and lowercase letters in a word.

I actually admire those who can tolerate such nonsense and the perpetrators themselves, I mean, it takes effort to decide which letters should become numbers, and which letters should be typed with the Caps Lock switched on. So kudos to the amateurs for the effort, but not to the experts since it's second nature to you already.

The thing I've been feeling uncomfortable over using Instant Messaging is the double-edged sword of emotions. When I type "lol" in response to something funny, most of the time in reality, I can only manage a snicker; where did the echoes of my supposed laughter escape to? In some instances, do you really LAUGH OUT LOUD when you type "LOL"?

Many a times, it felt like I was patronizing my friends and similarly, it was easy for them to reciprocate.

But I must admit, on several dire occasions, I did find solace from obliging friends who endured reading chunks of text describing my problems in vivid details. After all, I express myself better through words, and I smile lesser these days; probably due to the lack of novelty in my life, so the humble "=)" usually find its way at the end of a long but fulfilling conversation.

It's so easy to start a conversation these days; click on an "Available" person and chat away at anything under the sun. It must have been such convenience, that we take for granted the value of connecting with someone.

When was the last time I had an online conversation?

Two minutes ago.

When was the last time I met my friend(s) to have a decent face-to-face conversation?

I forgot.