As soon as I go offline viz. WhatsApp, my friends go berserk. They care about me, and they find it a symptom of mental issues that I have uninstalled WhatsApp. They start formulating weird, often over the top, theories to explain my ‘bizarre’ behaviour.
I have a few repartees to make:
1. WhatsApp is just 10 years old. It came into existence in January 2009. So, I think, it is too young to be a symptom of one’s mental illness.
2. When someone uninstalls WhatsApp, (when it is not needed) it does not mean that he is sad or unhappy or going through something else. Perhaps WhatsApp is the only issue there is because it is too young. And some of us take time to fully accept things and people in their lives. For example, in my case, I am almost 30. I have never been able to establish comfort with Instagram or WhatsApp or Facebook (or anything which increases my visibility to others). Zoes like me like to spend some time in our shells to recuperate from the struggle life is. I like to devote time to find the real me. And, I reckon, its completely okay.
3. In fact, if one chooses to take a break from this continuous inflow of information, it signifies a healthy mindset, a healthy way of viewing things. That the person at least knows what ails him.
4. Stigmatising someone who does not like technology (and uses it just for the sake of information sharing) and getting emotionally attached to one’s visual presence (profiles on social media) are never good for personal relations.
5. We should not stigmatise someone who is not on WhatsApp as much as someone who spends too much of her time on it. For some, WhatsApp is an escape. It is evil. But, for some, it is just a means which does not have any value except its usability. I shifted home, and one day, when it became apparent to me that I won’t be needing WhatsApp for at least two-three weeks, I uninstalled it. Do you like people calling you when you are enjoying a well-earned slumber at home? A polar bear in winters would hate WhatsApp.
6. The second point is about getting emotionally attached. The point is simple enough. The kind of conclusions one derives from others’ behaviour, doesn’t it reflect his own mindset? More importantly, who do you value more: a person or his social profile? Some people take great pleasure in maintaining that social visual face (profile), some don’t. And everyone should be accepted.
7. Lastly, sometimes uninstalling WhatsApp may be a recuperating mechanism. But, it is always more personal than you usually think. If you do not talk to that person, you will never come to know. But the least you can do is not make collective judgements about him/her. Yes, you are on WhatsApp. But aren’t you on Instagram? Or Facebook? What can’t you use SMS? Is WhatsApp the only means of communication there is?
8. Has any conversation over WhatsApp been ‘real’?
9. We have mental issues, one way or another. The least we can do it not impose our issues on others. Everyone is unique. Everyone’s issues are.
10. And, social media detox is a thing. If you are able to live without such detox sessions, it means only one thing: the site of your mental issues is somewhere else. Those who uninstall WhatsApp occasionally are maybe trying to heal themselves. They feel uneasy with so many notifications. They have broken hearts and do not want to send effusive messages to people they have lost. They do not want to start making public sad statuses. They cannot handle social media, even though they have degrees in marketing and excel in its theory part.
11. They are going through something. It’s not good for society. Stigmatizing mental illness is the worst. But stigmatizing something which is not a mental illness (but rather a coping mechanism) is forcing them ‘not to heal’.
12. You are not normal. He is not normal. We are not normal. That is why we need to accept ourselves. If everyone was normal, would we have needed to accept each other?
Let us not stigmatise or judge those who are unable to cope up with a few things you are comfortable with. Like social media. Like WhatsApp. But are you?