Intimate Speakers: Why Introverted and Socially Ostracized Citizens Use Social Media

By P. R Biju

“ What' s on your mind?” “ What' s happening?” Do you often find yourself answering these questions on social media? Do you often update your current status on WhatsApp? Are you more connected to the virtual world than the real world? Are you . . . an Introvert? Welcome to the Connected Space In the age of social media, where intimacy has found a new course, the introverts and ostracized citizens, including women, queer and the Dalit, have broken down the enforced social hierarchies, conventional norms and class divisions. Intimate Speakers is an account of Biju' s social media encounters with these citizens, as they came forward and shared their intimate stories. They have not only found an alternative political existence in cyberspace, but are actively using social media to bring about significant changes in the society and overall social structure.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Fingerprint Publishing
• Release date: May 2, 2017
• ISBN: 9788175994706

Book preview

In a world which has been called an ‘extrovert ideal’ by Susan Cain, the author of the bestseller Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, there prevails a reign of extroverts, and the introverts are often found at the receiving end.

There are no clear answers to the question, ‘who is an introverted citizen?’ In Introversion: The Often Forgotten Factor Impacting the Gifted, authors Jill D. Burruss and Lisa Kaenzig,¹ have categorically stated that introverts are not simply shy people, they are not simply depressed individuals, and they are not all social outcasts. Introversion is rather a gift of those to whom we are indebted for their greatest contributions to humanity.

Our stereotyped and extrovert-obsessed society has always been critical of introverts. But introverts, on the other hand, never fall into the trap of ‘groupthink.’ Most of the world’s best philosophers, writers, composers, and scientists were introverts. They were people with the capability of thinking out of the box.

Introverted citizens derive energy from their internal world of emotions and ideas, while extroverts get their energy from sources like socializing with others. We live in a society which is largely judgemental, where the introverted often feel undervalued. They are criticized for their lack of social and political skills. But the stride of digital turn in the architecture of techno-social life has eased out the process of introverted citizens becoming mouse charmers.

Many people are not merely introverted because of social practices, but they are politically castrated. They find it difficult to communicate in the public and feel alienated in the political society. They do not have space for telling their stories and are silenced by the dominance of the extroverts. Introverts are unable to understand their language and jargon. And as they look for alternatives, technology has become their intimate friend.

This part examines how introverts have found their space on social media. The chapters narrate my encounters with introverts in the connected space, their stories, and migration to a virtual life, becoming mouse charmers. Their stories run the gamut from side-splitting to tear-jerking, and provide an engaging account of how introverts are making a digital turn in contemporary India, and becoming intimate speakers.

1

INTIMATE SPEAKERS

It was one of the coldest nights in the winter of 2010. The sky was speckled with stars. I was tired after a hectic day full of work. A seminar was scheduled to be held at my college in the third week of September next year. The topic was ‘Social Media and Politics.’ It was the sixth national seminar I would be convening, financed by the University Grants Commission (UGC). I was caught up in the pre-conference work.

As I was working till late in the night, my hands gnarled with pain and my eyes began to strain. Even though there were a few tasks yet to be finished, I postponed them for the next night. It was already half-past twelve. I posted the national seminar notification on my academic blog, bijugayu.blogspot.in, and then shared its link on Gmail.

The invitation was now there on the connected space, from where it would reach the well-connected audience everywhere. Connected space is like the town square, and friend power is the propeller to reach out and be visible. If one shares something on Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, Tumblr, Twitter, WordPress, or Gmail, it reaches everywhere. So, happy and content that the seminar invitation would reach out to everyone through this medium, I went to bed. And soon I was in deep sleep.

It was around 1.00 a.m. when I woke up, startled by the sound of the ringing phone. I took the call.

How can I participate in the seminar? Will I get T.A. and D.A.? What should I do to get my abstract accepted?

He shot all these questions straight at me, without any hi or hello. I was stunned. It was close to the witching hour, and a complete stranger had called me up to ask about a seminar, which was months away, disturbing my sleep. However, I soon realized that I had become a part of the connected world, where instant updates were the barometer of sociability, and the yardstick of survival amid social connections. Quick connections and easy access give a new identity to people on social media. So, despite being half asleep, I responded politely without showing my displeasure over the call.

Please read the post carefully. All the details are already mentioned there on the blog, I said, and then asked, How did you get to know about our seminar programme?

Your email, he replied.

It took a second for me to register this, but he continued, Suppose if my abstract is accepted, could I get a round-trip, second-A.C. train fare from Delhi, along with remuneration? He seemed to be more interested in the financial incentives of the event.

Yes, you are eligible. I replied, and he hung up.

Next day when I woke up, I recollected the telephone conversation. I had more than three thousand contacts on Gmail. Most universities in India maintain a directory of their faculties’ contact details on their website. It is easy to collect contact information and add it to one’s contact list on Gmail. I do not know from where the guy called, but I was sure that the link had reached as many people as possible, and not just within the country, but even outside it. The exchange of information was not limited by any social structure or hierarchy.

I realized that in this world of connections, one was connected all the time. So it was not surprising, if one received calls and messages at odd hours in the night. But the traditional mindset was still judgemental, and was trying to cope with this changed social milieu. That midnight call would have irritated most people, but I had my own reasons for not being offended. It taught me what it meant to be an intimate speaker in the age of instant updates and constant connections. My fiesta corners in the connected world got a new addition.

***

I remember Jyoti S, the client manager of a consulting firm, who contacted me on LinkedIn one evening in May 2014, asking if she could share my number with their client based out of Pune, to discuss a job opportunity. The client was FLAME University, and they were looking for Political Science faculty. But what surprised me was that the University had outsourced the faculty hunt to a job consultant, and they were doing it in the connected space using social media.

In the past, educational institutions used to advertise job openings through advertisements in the available print media. Even for events and academic seminars, official invitation letters in print format were sent out to the participants, delegates, and resource persons. And many times, even the students and academics were engaged in the tasks and lost their lecture hours. But the advent of social media has revolutionized the channels of social communication. People no longer subscribe to the Employment News and other kinds of job information magazines and weeklies. And all other information can now be easily spread through emails and blog posts.

The changes brought in by technology and social media are not limited to a particular realm. Its ripples have touched almost everyone, and the only choice left is to welcome and accommodate these in and around our lives. Everyone has gradually settled in, one way or the other, with these changing technologies.

Internet has changed everything in a pristine way. Social media has become like an electoral identity card. The denizens of the connected space sense the need to experience a new kind of belongingness and citizenship.

With the vast avenues brought to us by the social media, we have now become wiser in choosing what we want to read and watch. Users can filter and select what interests them. Google is literally like God on earth, where one can find anything and everything. The strong winds of social media have swept off the conventional roots, particularly in the educational scenario, and have democratized knowledge dissemination.

Through my personal academic blog, which I had created some years ago, I came across many inspiring stories. Engaging with students and the academic community on a round-the-clock basis was an exciting idea. I dreamt of a classroom beyond the walls, where students could constantly keep in touch with me. I could mentor them online, guide them on their assignments, post about seminars and lecture notes, and discuss project topics. I found my third space in life in the fiesta corners of the connected space. I signed up and became engaged on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, about.me, WordPress, Tumblr, WhatsApp, and Gmail. I added social media badges of personal and social profiles to my academic blog, and added a ‘Share this’ widget to the blog. So, when I shared something, I was able to disseminate information to an audience as wide as possible.

Connected world is so interconnected. People contacted me from far-flung corners of the world. Citizens of other nationalities appreciated the lecture notes I posted. People commented on my posts. They said ‘nice information,’ ‘good job,’ ‘go ahead,’ and I became happier because people noticed me. I got visibility if I did something in the connected space. If you keep silent, no one notices you. Engagement is important to become an intimate speaker. At times, I faced criticism, online stalking, and harassment, too. However, one thing became clear, I was connected to more people than I could respond to on a one on one basis.

***

The virtual world is growing and changing faster than the real world. Social media has become a repository of stories, more complex than the human society itself. I never miss an opportunity to talk about any topic related to globalization and technology, for I have many beautiful and inspiring stories to share, stories of people I’ve met and connected with while being online through my fake accounts.

One morning at my college, I had to give a lecture on ‘New Age Social Technologies and Cool Life.’ I was going to talk about how connection technologies altered the architecture of our old social world. Many brilliant ideas and people flashed through my mind. James Surowiecki’s The Wisdom of Crowds² was a fascinating catch-all phrase to describe the change brought in by technology. An Army of Davids by Glenn Reynolds,³ fiercely described how David beats Goliath in this age of connections. Clay Shirky⁴ was on my mind with the political power of social media. Aaker and Smith’s The Dragonfly Effect⁵ passed into reflections. Neil Postman’s Technopoly⁶ was fascinating. Being Digital by Nicholas Negroponte⁷ was tempting.

Don Tapscott and Anthony D. Williams’s Wikinomics⁸ predicted that Internet togetherness would lead to mass collaboration. Kevin Kelly⁹ presented an engaging journey through the history of ‘technium,’ a word he developed for the evolution of technology, which engulfs the entire gamut of human lives. The Long Tail, thesis of author Chris Anderson¹⁰ was interesting. Authors Lee Rainie and Barry Wellman’s triple revolution was captivating.¹¹ They were of the view that our daily life is connected life and the spread of the Internet, social media, and cell phones has interwoven the single clarifying story of three importantly enormous changes. It is the triple revolution: networked revolution, Internet revolution, and mobile revolution. Its pulse is driven by endless email pings, track button beeps, swipes, and touch screen pings.

There were many more which were powerful enough to terrify the young minds with the techno-utopia of our time. But I restricted myself to mentioning just a few, as new age technologies could not be completely understood through single phrases or metaphors. I planned to talk about it in an engaging way. Every so often, a story is to learning, what a chocolate is to the child.

I remembered a birthday wish from one of my students. She had written on my timeline, Everyone can teach lessons that are in the books, but only gifted teachers like you can teach the lessons of life, beyond the books. You teach us through your own experiences in life. It was an inspiring post. Teaching is efficient when you teach from the heart. I thought I should speak from the bottom of my heart. So, I decided to tell them how I became an intimate speaker in connected space.

I began by telling them how I had received a call from someone in the middle of the night, asking about the national seminar I was to convene. I told them what I observed on social media as an ordinary user, a blogger, a YouTuber, a Facebook and Twitter user, and shared with them the responses I was getting for the works I shared on merinews.com, indiaopine.com, and countercurrents.org. I spoke of many people who made amateur success in connected space. Their social media amateurism making market hits was inspiring. I shared with them stories of ordinary people I had come across on social media. Intimate speaking began to work.

I spoke about untouchability in India. There was a time when it was difficult for untouchables to even walk past an upper-caste person as they were considered to be pollutants. They were denied ‘space’—the space to walk, work, and meet other people. Moreover, untouchables were always scared of running into a Dvija (Sanskrit for twice-born). Dvija is a male member of the first three varnas in the Hindu society. Brahmins, Kshatriyas, and Vaishyas are included in the Dvija category. Hence, the untouchables were denied ‘time,’ for they could expect Dvija anytime on the road. They did not even have access to knowledge, as it was considered a privilege and belonged only to the twice-born.

The public sphere was not all-inclusive. Political society was non-egalitarian. Many people and groups were excluded. Women, Dalits, and sexual minorities were among them. There was no social mobility from one class to another. It was a totally rigid social system. And amidst this rigid social structure, constitutional democracy was a promise.

But then, eventually, with the Internet revolution, ordinary people got the power to tell their stories. Think of the lower castes, women, third genders, etc., in the connected space. They are avid users of Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Why? Because unlike the traditional social spaces, which are still characterized by old social cleavages, connected public has many peculiarities—inclusive, open, quick, universal, and devoid of old barriers. Social media provides people power. It destroys old social cleavages, demolishes ancient patriarchy, and smashes prejudices.

Social media represents the participatory culture commensurate for a successful democratic society. This prerequisite, which was historically denied to a major fragment of Indian society, is vastly recurrent on social media now. Ordinary housewives take part in prime-time news hour debates for their signature petition campaigns posted on petition sites such as change.org. One such petition even found mention in the Justice Verma Committee Report on sexual assault against women. It signifies the increasing power of social websites to enhance participatory culture. If you need more examples, just look at the thunderclap strategy of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) during Delhi Assembly Elections in 2013 and 2015, and the sixteenth Indian General Elections in 2014, or take a look at the ‘India Against Corruption’ and ‘Delhi anti-rape campaign.’ They are among the new vigilantism and participatory culture facilitated by alternative media.

Once Gayu’s Ph.D. supervisor said that he had been gifted a new smartphone, which he was unable to use in full swing. He said that he received instant Gmail notifications. He was wondering and quipped that he would have purchased a gadget like this earlier had he known about the mass power of tiny gadgets like this. Now, he could send emails anytime, anywhere, and was updated on everything people sent to him on the Internet.

I was shocked! I recollected that I had invited this professor to inaugurate the seminar on social media and politics. The next day, local media had reported that the inaugural speaker had talked about a majority of Indians who still weren’t completely well-versed with social media, and could not strengthen the democracy. But since then, the number of digital sceptics becoming social media enthusiasts has only risen.

Untouchables found a solution in digital technology. Let us imagine, if there were well-developed transport systems, what would have been the nature of purity/pollution? Certainly, technology interferes with the disadvantages we have in the social system. It mediates with the social structure. Technology represents the social reality. It embodies the social mind we cherish. What would have happened if there were Facebook and Twitter in times of untouchability in India? What would have been the fate of untouchables, if there was a Mark Elliot Zuckerberg, or Jack Dorsey, or Lawrence Larry Page during those days?

Connected public is different. Like the professor who befriended technology lately, and said that he gets instant Gmail notifications now, one is in control of his or her own time and space. In the world of bytes, they too have become technology-driven. To understand it better, just hypothesize how one could communicate via Gmail, Facebook, Twitter, Blogger, and other similar social platforms in times of social ostracism and untouchability.

I told them another story of an intimate speaker, who made use of people power to question the modern version of untouchability in contemporary India.

S. Kumar, a JNU drop out, was a University Assistant in Kerala. He was an ardent fighter in the bandwagon of backward caste activism. He was fond of social media and Facebook activism with no limits. On

Reviews for Intimate Speakers

[mariaantonysamy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"INTIMATE SPEAKERS Why introverts and socially ostracized citizens use social media
is a compilation of thoughts and experiences in the virtual world of Internet and social media by Biju P.R. Writer, teacher and blogger .The author has depicted his personal encounters and the happenings in the country along with the findings from the eminent scholars .There are three parts, each gives a different picture of the activities of netizens , woman empowerment, through the Internet, and sexual activism of lesbian,,gay,bisexuals,transgenders and inter-sex (LGBTI). One chapter relates to Dalits .The crux of the book is the fact that we are all becoming Intimate speakers in this virtual world ,

The other day my neighbour has asked me ," We have become his Facebook friends. Why you are not putting any Like ,Comment, or Share for my posts whereas I am doing it on your posts?" It has not occurred to me this is a big issue and I have felt bad my backwardness in the virtual world makes me an odd man out. This book has enlightened me on all facets of Internet and Social media.

The title of the book Intimate speakers is a powerful eye-catching one and it shows the sea- change that has taken place in our country after advent of Internet and social media like Facebook ,Twitter. and WhatsApp.

You are buying the electronics gadget like smart phone at the cost of more than 10K . This book comes to you as a great guide and the investment of Rs 250/ worthful one and it is a best buy for all the clarifications and discussions . Nuggets of wisdom will definitely help you to handle Internet and social media in a proactive and productive way . You will get a pukka direction and the journey in the online world will be a happy one without any hassle . All bibliophiles want to have this book on their shelf as it is a great reference one on the Internet and social media.

Biju.P.R has penned this book with a passion coupled with scholarly craftsmanship with a lot of research. His language is fresh,precise and magnificent. The narration is interesting His proficiency in this filed has made this book a great success. He has used the word 'space' frequently .This indicates the impact of the Internet on the lifestyle of Indians and the effects of social media in their routine life.There is a poem written by him shows his flair for literature.


Social and historical context :
The book starts with the preface on Intimate speaker's Code of Conduct.It gives an account of the author on his personal experiences,and encounters in his virtual world from the year 1991 to up to date.The book deals with all the subjects related to the cyber world like cybersex, digital market cyberspace,to name a few., It covers various social media like Facebook,Twitter, YouTube,Orkut Blogger , Wordpress, Skype, WhatsApp and SNSs. It talks about the chat platforms like social networking sites ,matrimonial sites etc Also It tells about the impact of these media in the life of an ordinary Indian in the context of his social life as well as personal life.

My favorite
The following conclusions by the author have got my attention.

Social media was becoming a loudspeaker for the new kind of speakers in the age of instant and constant connections.

Social web became a real test of the liberal characters of Indians cherished and idealized democracy over the years.

Though a slight exaggeration our clicks or finger touches can bring about a biggest change.

Internet has become a new mantra for liberation and empowerment.

Connectivity enables the death of common culture.

Internet is like the Pandors's Box for women and sexual dissenters.

Life is like a walk in the rain. You can either take shelter or get wet.

Internet gives a sense of invisibility to women

Facebook and WhatsApp were their second homes.

Internet has become increasingly accommodative to sexual minorities.

My verdict.
I like this book for all the messages it carries on Internet and Social Media .I also admire the way the book deals with cyber citizenship so that we live in the virtual world with all the peace , happiness and harmony . I recommend this book to all a good buy and must read by ,parents,teachers,students ,bloggers and professionals I find the End notes very useful and informative.