Article: Book Review: The Asocial Networking

Sports, Books & Movies

Book Review: The Asocial Networking

The book is a mirror to everything that social networking brings with it - the good, the bad and the ugly
Book Review: The Asocial Networking
 

Social networking: with great power comes great responsibility

 

While we are all engulfed in the accelerated speed of knowledge sharing and aggregation of information that social networking has made possible, is the road leading to this ‘ideal world where virtual meets physical’ really painting a rosy picture? Dhiraj Kumar, in his book, ‘The Asocial Networking: Musings of the Real & Online Worlds’ raises many questions that can get most of us thinking on the increasing time we spend in our virtual world.

The author views social networking as just an offshoot of a technological revolution which can, at best, serve as the supplement to the conventional form of communication. But the turn of events has been different, almost to the extent of people becoming obsessed with their digital avatars where the compulsiveness to have new updates, new friends, new popularity, and more, is what defines their meaning of pleasure in life today.

At a time when there is a natural need for all to enter this social network – this book comes as an eye-opener of how social networking can possibly change your life or the outlook to life, if one is not careful. Once on the social network – be it Facebook, or any other, it is an obsession in life that is almost an addiction and creates a need to excel in the online world, often through pseudo updates that are attractive but not necessarily true. ‘The Asocial Networking’, as the author calls it, is definitely a must-try but with caution and he explains why, quite candidly in his book.

In the midst of the current time, when it is easier to hear more about ‘why social networking’ as opposed to ‘why not’, such a book may be a good investment for all of us to ensure our excitement in the newfound online world does not lead us to miss out on the greatest forms of human experiences. Along with such caution, this handbook of sort based on the author’s experiences also brings to light ways in which people can optimize their online presence – there are tit-bits on basic tricks of the trade to master the art of networking and bring together tangible gains of such activities even in the real physical world.

When you read the book, at first glance, it might come across as one that ridicules the present ‘obsession’ of social networking in everyday life – well, it does show more of the flipside, but the book is merely a caution of what can go wrong if there is an over indulgence in the virtual world. Dhiraj closes the book with the famous dialogue from Spiderman’s grandfather – with great power comes great responsibility. And the same applies to networking too – it has firmly entrenched itself in such a vantage position, that it can tweak the human mind the way it fancies.
 

Read full story

Topics: Sports, Books & Movies, #Social Media, #BookReview

Did you find this story helpful?

Author

QUICK POLL

How do you envision AI transforming your work?