What's on your mind?

Note : This is written with the IIM-K reader in mind, hence a lot of it might’nt make sense to other readers. Apologies. Still will convey the essence.

Chick-King? Where are you feminists?

TORpedoed, bOMmbed, MEessiled, clubBE, MAassacred, OBliterated, still I’m alive, hats off to me

SSS The terror of town – SADIST SADIS SADIST SSS | Non pluSSSed

JKL "K"icks ABC's "B"alls @ Sports 08

I took my mobile... selected the option to write a new sms... turned on the T9 dictionary... and wrote REJECTION. I was pleasantly surprised

When having a rough time with your girlfriend, an expansionary monetary policy won't work. Don't try to give her lots of gifts and money to buy her back. Instead try an expansionary fiscal policy, take more 'interest' in her and you will reach your true potential.

Sounds familiar? With Gtalk being ubiquitous, status messages have evolved as a form of self expression and communication. I will try to classify and talk about a few such cases. The post is slightly long, but I trust the readability is high since you can just skim through the portions that you find interesting.

1. Means of Self Expression

a. What’s on top of your mind?

Consciously or subconsciously, status messages reflect what is on top of someone’s mind. The moods and feelings occupying most mindspace at any given point of time.

First, last and only anniversary at the place I have come to love so much.

Nostalgia!! - Awesome Weekend at "K"ampus!!! - All Night Daaru Party-> Breakfast @Kadavu-> Kacha Paneer@NC->Evening at Sea Queen -> Heaven -> Feel like going back to Kampus!!

Love is the gross exaggeration of difference between one person and the rest of the world

2/8 of 16.67(4.16%) + 33.33%=37.5% of MBA over

Sometimes such messages act as a mood elevator for the writer. Positivity conveyed through status messages is intended to pep yourself up or inspire you. Quotes, poems and lyrics play an important role. Including Display Picture in the fold provides further avenues for self expression, limited only by your creativity. Selection of display pictures and the symbolism behind it is a separate topic in Itself.

"Hone hone de nasha, khone khone ko hai kya...ek saans mein pee jaa, zara zindagi chada...hai ye to ek jashn, tu thirakne de kadam....abhi saanson mein hai dum, abhi chalne de sitam....

If you can dream it you can do it.....test of patience

On a lighter note, that’s one of my favourite ways of making a fool of myself. Not recognising lyrics, taking it literally, and asking people to explain the rationale behind their status messages.

b. Thrill in showing your inner self to the outside world or a means of letting off steam

The perceived anonymity of the medium and the safety shell causes people to open up inadvertently. There might be conscious exhibitionist tendencies in doing so, or a subconscious comfort in “confiding in the world” without actually doing so. It’s like showing yourself to the whole world and expressing your identity while hiding comfortably from the eyes of your audience.*

It is not surprising that looking at a consolidated set of status messages she kept over time, one of my friends suddenly felt they were very personal, even though they were kept as status messages.

c. Attention Seeking Tool

If even one person pings back and asks you what happened in response to your “Pissed off, don’t ping” status message, it is a satisfying experience, even if you really don’t confide in her.

d. Advertising and utilitarian information dissemination

Status messages form a direct gateway to links/bogs that you want people to read and for MR surveys that you want people to take.

Please fill this short survey at http://xyz.org

“Thoughts and Opinions” @ http://arslanaziz.blogspot.com

My new Number 9999999999

Register for Mentorship Programme at http://metorship.iimklive.com

2. Proclamation and Euphoria

It acts as an effective medium to show off, proclaim victories, talk of events or in general make a statement about events taking place in your community (College/School/religious).

'H' thrashed ---> 'E'agles hunted ---> K2 to rock bottom ---> 'A' as always are the champs ---> Cricket Conquered

JKL defeats ABC in Sports 08..!!

Colours: Rs100, Tea shirt torn n used as a dodge ball: Rs250, Cost of balm after hostel watchman calling me Neela Bandar n beaten me with his danda: Rs 50... Holi Celebs @ IIMK : Priceless !!!

Its HOli people!!!Yippee!!!people remember

The Holi I played was so bad, my 120 gm Pears disappeared in 20 minutes flat...

It generally acts as a tool to enhance group identity. I have noticed many news items pertaining to especially the IITs forming part of status message of IITians in campus Talking of IIM, it acts as a tool of “brand building” and furthering the “IIM Myth – the unreal aura of elitism” to the outside world. So, when people have status messages proclaiming in an exaggerated fashion how we have classes from morning to evening, or how tough the exams are, or how much fun the parties are, it is furthering the “elite and fun” perception.

I want a 28 hour day

Classes from 9am to 11pm..Welcome back to Kampus

Best Party Ever

3.As a means of discreet communication

SMs can be used as a very effective tool for one to one communication through the public space, and carrying out cold wars or personal battles on a public field. The messages are cryptic enough that only the person you intend to would understand the meaning and it looks innocuous to others. It might even be in local languages that only the intended people can understand.

“rozana jeeye....rozana mare..teri yaadon mein hum...rozana jale...rozana ghule..teri yaadon mein hum....rozana”

4. Legpulling, Culture Building,Fun and Games

There are these phases of prank playing when everybody gets after one poor soul to make fun of her through status messages. Almost everyone on the list might have status messages like:

“We all know Ravi Bansal is Weird, Neurotic and Unpredictable”

“Q: Who has “bolne ki machine? Ans:Namratha”

“Evolution of Dating in IIM-K…”

5.Wacky Status Messages

This is my favourite category. People come up with really intelligent and wacky status messages. The parody and wordplay is amazing at times. Probably as a way of showing off their wit, or just general feel good factor. It is also a means of conveying your general attitude and values. Sometimes they are borrowed from quotes, but the context makes them interesting.

You might have the Money, but I have the Time

Will the real slim lady please stand up?

Life itself is Marketing – Unnithan

I hope this subliminal thingy really works. Because I don't listen shit in finance classes

Being drunk doesn’t change who u are, just reveals it

In Class, Don’t wake me up

There once was an old man of Esser,Whose knowledge grew lesser and lesser,It at last grew so small,
He knew nothing at all,And now he's a college professor!

The best ones are on display during exam times:

FM marks reflect US Markets| FINished

Yu Hin Kat ta rahega | His last joke wasn’t funny| 0 return on investment

XYZ has just given her 40th exam here but is still in shock over how much CRAP she can write.

HRM Profs should not be so cruel

Completeness and Consequences are not friends." - Beat this

They make us earn the vacations!!

Tujhse Naraaz nahi PQR.. Hairaan Hoon Mein.. Tere Bakwas Sawaalo se.. Pareshan hoon Mein..

DDoS at the cosmic uplink! | Deadwood it is..

I am being taught FM in a typical capitalistic way -unregulated and aggressive speed. With fundamentals no longer looking strong, sentiments point towards a mental meltdown if a bailout is not provided ASAP !!!

Status messages can be used to gain an insight into people’s Moods, feelings, attitudes, values, group dynamics, and community culture and so on. The possibilities are endless.

So, when someone says “I have a habit of frequently looking at status messages”, you smile knowingly at her. Hey people at Google, are you listening? Devise a mechanism for archiving SMs

Acknowledgements :

1.Quoting Status messages of Archana, Arijit, Ankita, Arslan, Anoop, Burhan, Himanshu, Kaveesh, Kapil, Kshitij, Kumar Vivek, Mridul, Nilay, Ravi, Ricky,Sahil , Shashank, Shrinidhi,, Sushanta, Tanu, Udit, Varun, Vaibhav and others I might have missed

2. *Ankita, for her insights on the topic

3. Apologies for any inadvertent errors or politically incorrect comments, no harm intended.