Mr Hashtag Tweet

Remember the days when one would wait for the postman to deliver mail to your doorstep. The mail delivery would assume more significance if the letter bore some good news often followed by dramatic emotional outbursts and celebrations. In those days, the telegram was the fastest mode of delivering news, somewhat comparable to today’s speed post. Unfortunately, by the nature of its service, it had earned an ominous reputation of being the bearer of bad news. The advent of computers and World Wide Web eventually led to a gradual demise of the erstwhile telegram. The ‘Internet’ opened up a plethora of opportunities not only for businesses but also for sending personal messages on real time basis.

Ctrl+Alt+Del

We start fresh. WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram have taken over the world of communication. Dynamic modes of communication have transformed the way we communicate with our friends, families and colleagues.

Just to illustrate the significance of technology in our lives, here’s a snapshot in the life of José who works as a financial analyst at a Fortune 500 company:

His iPad wakes him up in the morning. He begins his morning ritual by sending a good morning message to a group of friends on the WhatsApp group he created. As he sips his coffee he goes through his Facebook wall to update himself about his friends whereabouts and adventures. It even updates him on what’s trending right from politics to sports. Out goes the conventional newspaper. As he waits at a traffic signal he tweets about the traffic snarl warning his friends and colleagues to avoid this route. As soon as he reaches office José logs on to a Skype conference call with his offshore clients. The client call is followed by a birthday celebration of a colleague. He clicks a group selfie and posts it on Instagram, an image sharing platform. For lunch, they decide to try out a nearby eating joint that is easy on the pocket and where the food is appetizing. So they check the Zomato app to facilitate their search. After a sumptuous meal Jose and his colleagues pay for their lunch through mobile e-wallets. A heavy meal makes the group lazy so they decide to hire an Ola cab using its mobile app. The app gives them an approximate cost for the distance. Once Jose reaches the office he checks Evernote, an app that reminds him the agenda for the remainder of the day. As he wraps up his working day he keeps a watchful eye on the torrent of his favorite episode of Game of Thrones downloading. Simultaneously, he also downloads an episode of last night’s MasterChef to try it out after he reaches home. On his way home, Jose navigates his way back home using google maps to avoid traffic. He uses his smarthome app to instruct his smart home about his preferences once he reaches home. A nice hot shower, followed by a glass of red wine as the food gets cooked in the automated cooking oven. His Smart TV plays his favorite cricket match which you missed while he was busy with his clients. No time to go out and play? No worries. He switches on his Wii console and plays a round of lawn tennis with Roger Federer. Finally it’s time for bed. His smart home console decides the temperature of his bedroom based on his body temperature, the mattress is aligned based on his spine tension and his alarm is set for 7 am.

#HashTag World has arrived

Phew! Exhausted by how much technology has infiltrated our lives.  Social media has changed the way news is disseminated. The rate of news delivery is mind blogging. Relationships are being forged and broken online. You can witness the best moment in your life being thousand miles away from the destination. Imagine an army personnel stationed at distant desolate village of Kabul witnessing live birth of his first born in Pennsylvania, US. Not long ago did India's PM Narendra Modi win the general elections leveraging the power of technology and social media. Unfortunately, businesses in India are yet to realize the power of social media. They are yet to discover the true power and depth of social media tools. Many businesses realize the importance of having a good website but few realize it is even important to support it with a good social media tools. Social media is redefining media advertising. It gives one an in-depth insight into the customer’s browsing habits, their likes and dislikes and is an awesome media to gain invaluable feedback. The world, as we know today, is abuzz with various technology and social media tools at our fingertips. The power rests in our hands. However, they questions to be answered are, are we aware of the power we possess and if we do then do we know how to wield it?