Social life in progress!

995: A social study takes place in a village in Pennsylvania, US. The subjects are provided with free Internet connection and computers in their houses. They’re given training on the computer usage, mainly focusing on building social relationships on the Internet. The subjects weren’t aware of the aim of this study. All they knew that their social behaviour was monitored by social scientists. Within two years of the experiment, the scientist noticed that the subjects spent more time on the net socializing with strangers they’d never met and less time with people within their village.

2007: I’m sitting in the living room of my aunt’s house, along with her two daughters. The elder is getting married; the family of the groom is downstairs discussing wedding details, while we’re upstairs watching season 4 of Start Academy. The bride and her sister are updating me with what’s been happening so far in this reality show. At the moment, the Iraqi contest Shatha Hasoun is sobbing saying that she doesn’t want to do the nose job, as it will affect her voice and she might lose it forever.

My cousins look moved while I’m trying to conjure sympathy from somewhere within. It proves hard as the sarcastic voice in my head keeps saying: “Don’t do it then! End of story!” Needless to say that Shatha won the contest and became the first Arab female to win this programme.

2007: Mum and I are attending a wedding of a relative. At 10.45 pm, the guests start getting ready to leave. Everybody is looking at their watches anxiously, including my aunt. Very few guests including us remain and mum states that the groom is yet to come, in case they haven’t noticed. “It’s time for the Turkish series Nour.” They say.