Thursday, August 13, 2009

Online Burol

Again, I begin with saying that I am not against the internet. In fact, I often make use of the many perks it offers, and I am glad of the convenience it has afforded me so far.

But, there are some things that I still cannot concede to it. Even with Multiply, I print photos, and take the time to arrange them in an album and add captions, and I find it satisfying that I could control who could see them. I like sending handwritten letters and notes as much as I am excited receiving them. I don’t mind traveling to visit people I haven’t seen in a while, because then I would be able to give them real hugs. I liked the “virtual” cakes and flowers sent for my birthday, but I would have loved a small muffin given to me in person. I enjoy actual, face to face conversations, whether about things that matter or just the weather; we would have spent the same amount of time talking online anyway. I don’t post blogs online (except as required, like this one =p), because I find comfort in sitting down and writing what I think or feel in an old-fashioned leather-bound notebook, and I am not influenced by the consideration that someone else will read it. While I think the people who conceptualized online shopping are geniuses, I still like to stroll along grocery lanes and shopping malls, scan through racks and shelves, and watch how people spend a day in their “consumer-driven lives”.

Maybe what I refuse to concede is the intimacy of human relations, that so called personal touch. Perhaps, too, it is the comfort of knowing that I am still in good hold of my privacy. It may also be that I am just scared of being too trusting of the internet, given the various security concerns posed against it.

Now for the real reason of the title: I drove past an advertisement along Quezon Avenue that said “Online Burol”. The idea is to live stream online the “burol”, so others who couldn’t make it to the wake can take part. I would like to make it of record that I detest even the idea of it, for reasons I think many of you have already thought of by now. That’s pushing convenience too far.

4 comments:

ecru_23 said...

Nobody writes letters anymore-the snail mail/handwritten type which I find kinda sad. Like you, while I appreciate receiving emails or e-cards, nothing beats the personal touch indeed.
Oh yeah, I've heard about that online burol. At first I found it interesting...the things people think of! But come to think of it, it's somewhat creepy. hehe.:)

Joanna Eileen Capones said...

I was able to watch a sample footage from an online burol sa TV Patrol yata. It's weird. If I were a friend or relative, parang mas mafifeel ko pa lalo yung distance with that. The online requiem mass (ala Cory Aquino) is okay. You'll still feel like you're a part of it because there are words involved. Pero the burol is super passive. You just watch others look at the body tapos ikaw hindi makalapit, hindi makacomfort sa mga umiiyak. I think it'll just make you feel worse.

Krizia Katrina Leanne Talon said...

To Joey: You said it. Those are some of the reasons why I don't like it at all. Just yesterday, we passed by that area in Quezon Avenue again, and I ranted for about 15 minutes or so. that's how much i "detest it". haha.

Krizia Katrina Leanne Talon said...
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