Facebook has become a hot topic of discussion and scholarly study. Since facebook applications platform opened up, there are about 5000+ applications only with no real monetization channels. I have expressed my views before about the facebook applications — but there’s an interesting social awareness that is surfacing in this sphere: almost a sort of cultural megalomania.

People are taking pride in sharing their ‘bookshevles," movie interests, virtual gifts, traveled cities and causes. Essentially, all applications that allow them to display their ‘cultural worth’ or ‘cultural currency." I have been guilty of this as well — having toyed around with each of these applications and then removed them because I got lazy of updating my ‘cultural hall of fame’ or simply realized that others had more fuller maps and more gifts and more drinks from their friends and that I would just look lame with such a meagre supply of all of the above. It’s interesting to me that there is a visual metaphor on facebook for all kinds of cultural behavior people engage in — and that people are taking pride in & engaging in that sort of cultural bragging where they think of those graphics as trophies and reflections of who they are and what their online worth is.

It is also, a very strong tool for people to control and sometimes manipulate exactly what their online identity will be. I am hard-pressed to say this is new to facebook. It probably started when we first spent hours trying to pick the right email handle, the right icq name, the right AIM name, the right msn name….The handle reflects our personality and it a strong representation of our physical self into a virtual world. Online diaries, livejournals and blogs allowed to portray our virtual handle in the real world — and supplement it with constant data and feed to promote it, build it further and even, live up to it.

Facebook applications and facebook itself — by allowing visual and graphical representations of more than one aspect of our intelligent/ the culturally assimilated self, as taken this cultural megalomania to a whole new level.

And that’s the extend of thought I’ve given this right now —
what about you?

I’m a cultural misfit almost anywhere I am so I don’t sterotype, but instances like these make it very very hard to not follow the herd. 4Million + views in over 3 days.

<p>Mini-cards (40 mm by 66mm) that can be attached to key chains, mobile phones and other devices have received only a lukewarm response by the Indian youth. Major banks like Standard Chartered, ICICI and Citibank have pulled back their efforts at marketing the mini-cards but HDFC Bank still believes that mini-cards have strong potential in the Indian markets. </p><blockquote><p>
According to Parag Rao, VP (products and
portfolio), HDFC bank, there are roughly 8 to 8.5 lakh such cards in the market,
out of which they occupy a market share of more than 60%. “We believe
there is a great market for this niche product. In another four-five years, we
expect mini cards to occupy 5% share of credit card industry,” says Rao – Economic Times</p></blockquote><p>Read more <a href=”http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Mini_cards_fail_to_charm_Indians/articleshow/2241488.cms”>here. </a><br /></p>

Atoosa Rubenstein’s (Editor-in-Chief of Seventeen magazine)recent resignation has caused quite a stir in the media industry. At age 26, she was the founding editor of CosmoGirl. After bringing the infant magazine to new heights (in advertising and revenue) Hearst moved her to reinvigorate the flailing Seventeen magazine. The first issue that was released under Atoosa’s editorial direction revived the magazine’s 5 year slump in sales and since then, Seventeen’s ad sales and circulation has dwarfed all other teen titles.

In my opinion, the reason Seventeen survived and ruled this multi-million dollar market was for two reasons 1) It’s historical association with teenage girls 2) Atoosa Rubenstein. Atoosa crafted the book to speak to the language of the audience it caters to. Atoosa of Iranian descent made sure Seventeen presented a diverse look and represented all skin colors and body-types. This distinction alone won many accolades. In another timely move, Atoosa did away with the monthly Editors Letter and chose to instead speak with her audiences via a MySpace blog. She struck a chord with these girls by often putting herself in the lien of fire by introducing a dialogue on religion in the magazine’s pages. She also endeared herself to her girls, (as she calls them) by including them in her personal moments, by sharing photographs from her vacation, photographs from when she was a not-so-pretty teenager and even photos from when she had put on weight. She also made the magazine incredibly price-friendly — because she understood teenage girls don’t buy $400 shoes and $1100 dresses. The success of Seventeen magazine, in my opinion, was largely because of the relationship Atoosa cultivated with her audience. Ofcourse but even magazines are a business and leaders often make bad decisions. In Atoosa’s case, the terrible Ms. Seventeen reality show, a la Trump’s Apprentice.

Irrespective of the hits and misses, Atoosa’s declaration to step down to start her own website for teens, youth consultancy and a book is a definitive nail in the coffin of teen magazines as we know it. It takes years to cultivate a real relationship with teenage girls — even if the Atoosa’s successor employs similar tactics, the teen girls will have moved on to digital zines leaving no time for the successor to forge a relationship with them. I think the first issue under the new editor’s leadership will speak to my claims.

With the close of Elle Girl and Teen People, this year has been somewhat tumultous and defining for the teen magazine industry. Both magazines have shifted online in an effort to speak with their audiences via a medium most comfortable to them. CondeNast is secretly working on it’s little teen empire. Atoosa is starting her own — and I think just because of the level of trust and the open relationship she shares with this fickle demographic, her website might just be the best. CondeNast, can do all they want, but unless they bring a real personality and a relationship to the mix, teenagers will view them as just another corporate site.

You could have it all — the jazziest site, expensive rewards, the works, but unless you take the time to know your customers and forge a relationship with them you’ll never earn their trust.

Honestly, sometimes I think people give too much importance to phrases and complex theroies on branding and marketing. I don’t think there’s a simpler science than marketing. You can give it as many fancy names as you want, but it comes down to really knowing your customers and pleasing them not your advertisers or your investors. Granted, this is a simplistic statement, but the essence of it cannot be diminished or argued upon. Building a relationship, that’s what its all about. And with the launch of Atoosa’s mega teen website and her youth consultancy, we’ll see just how right or wrong I am.

Who wants to take a plastic L’LO home? My Scene Goes Hollywood: Lindsay Lohan and Limo (I’m not joking) Available at Amazon and Sears. Barbie’s retirement isn’t far off. The new generation of dolls and playtoys are begining to derive inspiration and income from creating 3-d lives of celebrities.

Any takers?

Today is Gandhi Jayanti — Gandhiji’s  137th birthday. Growing up in India, Oct 2 was a reason for celebration. We recited the national anthem on the school grounds and had one-act plays and song recitals usually depicting the freedom struggle and Gandhi’s philosophy. The motive was noble, but the impact was zero. My friends and I looked forward to holidays like these because it meant a half-day from school, exemption from homeworks or (if it the holiday fell on a Saturday) no Physical Training class. It also meant we would be allowed to dress in our choice of clothes instead of the school uniform. And as far as I remember, even my teenaged cousins remained quite unaffected by such nationalistic sentiments and instead of showing up late for college as they usually did, they just skipped college on such days. It was a generational attitude.

But yesterday I was talking to a friend in India who mentioned that this year people were actually quite excited Gandhi Jayanti.  Why ? Read on.

‘Lage Raho MunnaBhai," a bollywood movie about a one-time crook who resorts to the Gandhian philosophy to win his ladylove has been responsible for this newfound interest in Gandhiji and the Gandhian philosophies. In the movie, the protagonist, Munna Bhai, appears on a radio program where he inspires his listeners to observe the path of truth, non-violence and tolerance. He invties his listeners to call in and promises to solve their problem by Gandhigiri. (Gandhigiri is a conjoint of two words: Gandhi + Giri, where "giri" reflects highest, top-notch or zenith) So when a sucidal son who lost his father’s meagre savings in the stock market calls in, Munna Bhai, pushes him to confess the truth to his father. Another time, a young woman was about to meet a prospective husband and wondered how she would gauge him on the basis of one meeting. In each instance, Munna Bhai provides a solution to their problems with grace and clarity that Gandhiji would have used.

The movie worked because Munna Bhai spoke the language that this generation understands: casual, vernacular and sparkling with wit and comedy. What the history textbooks failed to convey, Munna Bhai with his troop of comical goons did it in a way that was convincing and endearing. And like most Bollywood movies, this was generoulsy sprinkled with playful songs and a happy ending.

Bollywood movies have profoundly influened the Indian populace ever since the very begining. If you ask me, I have a bollywood movie I associate with every significant period of my life and my assumption is, most others do as well. Bollywood has not only inspired trends and fads, (Kajol’s sarees from Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Anu Agarwal’s ‘Ashiqui’ ribbons) but also controversies and riots. But the charm of Gandhigiri attriuted to Munna Bhai, is probably one of the first trends to have (IMHO) a positive impact on the nation’s psyche. As Taran Adarsh, movie critic puts it, "“Hardcore moral preaching doesn’t sell, but if you package it with entertainment, it works."

Students in colleges over Bombay had organized quiz competitions based on Gandhiji.

"Members of the Council told DNA that in order to make the competition more interesting, they have decided to divide it into two parts. “The first part will observe participants answering questions on Gandhi’s life and his work. The second part would be more exciting. Taking cue from the film, Lage Raho Munnabhai, the judges will ask the participants to solve a particular problem through non-violence and truth,” said Kulbhushan Yadav, USC deputy general secretary. – DNA

Another group of young students have founded Gandhigiri.org. Flooding with optimism, they ask ‘If Munna Bhai can, why can’t we do gandhigiri ?"  Here’s a post by a forum member:

Topic: GUYS THIS REALLY WORKS     Posted: 22 Sep 2006 at 3:10am

there is a residence colony near my office called indira nagar , they had a big headache of regular eveteasers , finally a group called young mens forum & the girls who were subject to eave teasing together started visiting the houses of evetasers and distributing sweets & garlanding mothers & sisters of the eveteasers , there were intial problems including a scuffle among them & the group , but they were persistent & kept doing this everyday …finally after a week the eveteasers stopped completely and are not to be seen… Edited by santhubhai – 22 Sep 2006 at 3:33am

India’s top social networking sites, Orkut, has a community called Gandhigiri. As of today, it has 37 members. I’ve also been hearing random reports from friends of how people are sending flowers to their enemies and radio stations are encouraging listeners to  solve their problems the Gandhi way. On the political front, Rajya Sabha Member Mohsina Kidwai has suggested all members of the Congress Working Party to watch the movie. Talks of introducing a Gandhian chair at colleges are also in works. Condensed versions of books on Gandhiji and his writings are in the making. Newspapers are reporting on an increase in the number of Gandhi related books being borrowed by children.

Ofcourse critics question the sudden optimism and wonder if it’s only a passing fad.  The movie (also!) probably provided ample fodder for political cartoonists for months. I can’t tell you either if this is only a trend or if it’s here to stay — but on a personal front, this movie did give me a different lens to look at the world with. This powerful of an impact can and should only be applauded. These are good times for India — and movies like these, only make it better. (The movie is tax-free now, btw)

And perhaps, students aren’t as disenchanted with Oct 2 celebrations as I was a decade or so ago.

As a teenager, I felt a little left out and ‘out of it’ because my home cable wasn’t hooked up with MTV(India). I’d consistently fail to enter random conversation about music and only knew artists I heard on radio. (there was only one FM channel then and it had a propensity to play, It’s a groovy kinda love) When I finally caught on to the MTV-India mania, I realized just how far behind I was in terms with pop culture and just how close I was to social suicide. The MTV VJ’s seemed super cool and a part of me wanted to be just like them. Blonde highlights, hinglish slang and a fun, carefree disposition became my mantra for assessing cool. This craving for cool turned into a counter rebellion and everything Indian  MTV VJ’S did, wore and said began to look like a cheap imitation of MTV-America. The VJ’s seemed ‘wannabe westerns,’ and I joined the subgroup that thought it was cool to reject MTV. Phases. Phases.

In full disclosure, MTV’s The Hills and My Super Sweet Sixteen are on my flip-list. (shows I watch when I channel-surf because I can’t seem to remember the dates/times for these shows)

New York magazine does a fine job at outlining how MTV has altered popular culture in the last quarter century.

I adore Calvin and Hobbes, I think Hello Kitty is an icon and I splurge on grotesque to cute-looking toys from Kidrobot. I thought I was unique in my pursuit of all things iconic and cute — but I’m not alone. The youth in Japan are busy enrolling in Cute,Inc, trying to grab a piece of the cuteness before the trend turns into a fad, cheaply translated by street hawkers. The article suggests that the notion of beauty and beautiful in Japan has become "cute" as opposted to the western, "sexy."
Perhaps this sentence sums up the essence of the quest for cute in Japan:

"Cute is that exclamation from the soul of Japan’s younger generation," much like "soul" or "La Raza," Onishi said.

Food for thought? Hello Kitty inspired credit cards to lure younger kids into becoming financially-savvy (or just spending more money?) Cell-phone charms, toys, and other gadgets now offer a touch of cute, instead of cool.

I turned 23 recently and instead of a deluge of phone-calls, I was inudated by a deluge of alerts in my mailbox from facebook and orkut. Long lost friends, recent friends, blogger friends and old friends walled my facebook or scrapped me in orkut wishing me. Ofcourse, I recieved a few phone calls. But no paper cards and a few e-cards.

Oh Baskin Robbins sent me a coupon for a free icecream. Victoria’s Secret sent me another for $10 off and Mexx sent me another for $15 off a purchase of $50. A couple others too that I can’t recall.
I will admit, I kinda liked it I recieved these birthday offers/ even though I knew I was their commerical whore for the day.

It was fantastic though. The thing is — growing old is fun but birthday’s aren’t always remembered that often and gifts are almost inexistent once you hit 21+. (I think!) So what if it’s the retailers who remember to send you a little something? It’s still super cool.

I rather liked being celebrated on orkut and facebook. What the hell– I even had a little MSN Chat party for my birthday complete with cake and balloon symbols.

***
I’m into week 3 of avoiding social networking and keeping my interaction with the internet to a minimum and honestly– it’s really not working. I’m questioning the point behind this silly exercise? It doesn’t help if I don’t network online; because my friends are still leading blindingly fast lives online. Besides, I make atleast one new virtual friend every week. Either I’m emailing people or they are emailing me. Essentially by cutting off my internet time, I also cut off my opportunity to meet cool new people. So once again, someone remind me why I’m doing this?

I’m hestiant to continue further. As you see, I don’t have many insights about what I *did* outdoors and *how* I’m enjoying the summer. My updates and insight instead reflect on how it feels to be virtually cut off and why I miss it.

Point to ponder?