In Rural Kutch(Gujarat) there is a phenomenon of poster-driven micro charity these days. People donate sums like 551, 1001 to local charities, mostly a Village Gaushala or Village temple management committee. Upon giving the amount, the guy who manages this then sends you a poster that has your photo, full name, the amount you have donated and a message thanking you and wishing you well. You would then post that poster on your WhatsApp status and then all your friends and family would post that on their timeline wishing you on birthday (or buying a new vehicle, death anniversary of someone, House function, Shop opening, basically any special occasion in your life).
This has not only turned into a status game but also a marketing opportunity for local businesses.
For example, If you're opening a local snacks or Garments shop in the village, you would donate to similar charities not only in your village but to other neighbouring villages as well to get the word out about your new venture. This reaches almost all of the population!
The annual revenues are in a couple of lakhs depending on the size of the village and every other village now runs its own Gaushala on this! The whole game runs on that WhatsApp status poster. Barely any of them would pay if these posters were to disappear tomorrow!
True that. Memories are nothing but a by-product of experiences. In this case, user was delivered experience in form of poster which he can share; to be precise share the memory.
No wonder the India Consumption Theme will play out for a very long time.
We somehow like playing these status games. I remember the crucial moments when the results of 10th, 12th, Graduation or some correspondence degree like CA, CS, would be announced in our social circles. One can only imagine the plight of these young children who are appearing for IIT-JEE at such a young age.
Spending on travel has increased considerably due to this monkey mindset. Families are spending on big-bang weddings combined with pre-wedding photo shoots.
I'm in my mid-30s now, and honestly I don't remember having a very relaxed conversations with my cousins anymore. It's all about business, travel plans, vacations, something stupid all the time. Well, kudos to those who still have warm relationships with their cousins.
Family groups are always the same – you’ll constantly see “Good morning” messages from uncles, often accompanied by heartfelt quotes. They also use statuses to express things they can’t say face-to-face. Meanwhile, Gen Z floods their statuses with love symbols and random updates. It’s wild how some people find the time to upload statuses every day, sharing everything from their lunch spots to their shopping trips at fancy malls. It feels like they’re just trying to show off that they’re living an amazing life or competing with others to prove they’re having the biggest, most lavish party life.
This is why I only share my status and dont see other's status except only my best friends and immediate family. Everyone else is muted. I follow the mantra of show but dont watch. A status game within itself.
I read this differently - rather than this being about Saranya falling into a social media comparison trap, couldn't this be about how Preeti's example helped Saranya realize she deserves an equal partnership where household responsibilities are shared?
Instead of chiding Saranya about status games, this could be a tale of empowerment and marriage equity.
There is no judgment on any of the people mentioned in the posts—just an observation. You are absolutely right to view this as an opportunity for her to get what she deserves, but I don’t think that’s how she perceived it. Moreover, altering Saranya's situation would require deeper conversations with her family members, rather than sharing envy on digital platforms. In many cases, our excessive engagement on digital mediums is a symptom of a deeper issue—one that calls for self-reflection and meaningful conversations with real life. For example I scroll Twitter a lot when Im stressed or I try to run away from a real problem.
However, in my limited understanding, the relationship between two sisters is a bit more complex than what appears on the surface. The episode that prompted me to write was about sisters being married into different economic backgrounds and how that changed their relationship over time.
In Rural Kutch(Gujarat) there is a phenomenon of poster-driven micro charity these days. People donate sums like 551, 1001 to local charities, mostly a Village Gaushala or Village temple management committee. Upon giving the amount, the guy who manages this then sends you a poster that has your photo, full name, the amount you have donated and a message thanking you and wishing you well. You would then post that poster on your WhatsApp status and then all your friends and family would post that on their timeline wishing you on birthday (or buying a new vehicle, death anniversary of someone, House function, Shop opening, basically any special occasion in your life).
This has not only turned into a status game but also a marketing opportunity for local businesses.
For example, If you're opening a local snacks or Garments shop in the village, you would donate to similar charities not only in your village but to other neighbouring villages as well to get the word out about your new venture. This reaches almost all of the population!
The annual revenues are in a couple of lakhs depending on the size of the village and every other village now runs its own Gaushala on this! The whole game runs on that WhatsApp status poster. Barely any of them would pay if these posters were to disappear tomorrow!
True that. Memories are nothing but a by-product of experiences. In this case, user was delivered experience in form of poster which he can share; to be precise share the memory.
No wonder the India Consumption Theme will play out for a very long time.
We somehow like playing these status games. I remember the crucial moments when the results of 10th, 12th, Graduation or some correspondence degree like CA, CS, would be announced in our social circles. One can only imagine the plight of these young children who are appearing for IIT-JEE at such a young age.
Spending on travel has increased considerably due to this monkey mindset. Families are spending on big-bang weddings combined with pre-wedding photo shoots.
I'm in my mid-30s now, and honestly I don't remember having a very relaxed conversations with my cousins anymore. It's all about business, travel plans, vacations, something stupid all the time. Well, kudos to those who still have warm relationships with their cousins.
Family groups are always the same – you’ll constantly see “Good morning” messages from uncles, often accompanied by heartfelt quotes. They also use statuses to express things they can’t say face-to-face. Meanwhile, Gen Z floods their statuses with love symbols and random updates. It’s wild how some people find the time to upload statuses every day, sharing everything from their lunch spots to their shopping trips at fancy malls. It feels like they’re just trying to show off that they’re living an amazing life or competing with others to prove they’re having the biggest, most lavish party life.
This is why I only share my status and dont see other's status except only my best friends and immediate family. Everyone else is muted. I follow the mantra of show but dont watch. A status game within itself.
I'm almost in jest by just reading the title.
I read this differently - rather than this being about Saranya falling into a social media comparison trap, couldn't this be about how Preeti's example helped Saranya realize she deserves an equal partnership where household responsibilities are shared?
Instead of chiding Saranya about status games, this could be a tale of empowerment and marriage equity.
There is no judgment on any of the people mentioned in the posts—just an observation. You are absolutely right to view this as an opportunity for her to get what she deserves, but I don’t think that’s how she perceived it. Moreover, altering Saranya's situation would require deeper conversations with her family members, rather than sharing envy on digital platforms. In many cases, our excessive engagement on digital mediums is a symptom of a deeper issue—one that calls for self-reflection and meaningful conversations with real life. For example I scroll Twitter a lot when Im stressed or I try to run away from a real problem.
However, in my limited understanding, the relationship between two sisters is a bit more complex than what appears on the surface. The episode that prompted me to write was about sisters being married into different economic backgrounds and how that changed their relationship over time.