Internet is Fun : A Family Conversation

Internet has dawned into the lives of people and made a remarkable positive difference to one and all. With 2.2+ billion members on the Internet, many of the activities offline are available over the Internet from the ubiquitous mobile phone now. The generation which is born in the Internet world can hardly imagine how people used to get things done earlier, how they used to engage in social conversations, how they could wait for things to happen instead of making them happen, how they could buy products from global brands, how they could travel easily and many more. The previous generation are joining the younger brigade to enjoy the new-found ways of doing things over the Internet. Yes, Internet is Fun !

Here is a short conversation between Dad, Mom and Daughter of a Family. Obviously, Daughter is an ardent fan of Internet on the mobile. The characters are fictitious but all the Internet related aspects discussed through this conversation are very much true.

Dad	Your mom and self are going to Hyderabad next month. Can you go to the railway station and book tickets?
Daughter	Tell me the date and train in which you want to travel. I will book the tickets right now.
Dad	25th June by Rajdhani.
Daughter	Let me try with Paymate on my mobile. [ punches a few keys… ]
Dad	You can book tickets on mobile?
Daughter	Yeah. Here you go ! Tickets are available for that date and train. You want me to confirm?
Dad	WoW ! Yes.
Daughter	Done. I have given your mobile number. You will get a mobile ticket, which you can show in the train while boarding.
Dad	That's it ?
Daughter	Yeah ! Now let me check out Kiran's marriage photos.
Dad	Kiran… the one who got married last night?
Daughter	Yes.
Dad	How can his photos come out so early. They need to be printed and processed.
Daughter	Daah ! 30 of us friends attended his marriage. All of us had cameras in our phones. We snapped almost 200 pix and captured the moments. And they are all uploaded to Google+, Facebook and Flickr. Mom, you want to see the girl on my mobile?
Mom	Yes beta. Ah, she looks very pretty ! I wonder who brokered this marriage !
Daughter	He posted his profile on e-matrimony sites like Shaadi and Bharat Matrimony. He showed some pix to me as well on his mobile a while ago.
Mom	How can they marry someone without seeing them?
Daughter	Mom, they met through the matrimony sites, saw each others' photo, learnt about each others' family, spoke to each other on the phone, exchanged 50 e-mails and SMS on phone - Internet is Fun! I heard that when dad came to see you, 50 members came in one ambassador car and you could hardly see dad, forget about talking to him.
Mom	Yeah, there were no seats left to sit for our family in the hall and there were no sweets after they left the hall. BTW, the jewellery is looking awesome !
Daughter	He bought it from CaratLane, a new online jewellery store.
Mom	OMG ! I thought he got only the bride on the Internet.
Daughter	He bought his watch, footwear and t-shirts also on the Internet. BTW, he has got a special deal with 80% off on a spa treatment before marriage ! I guess he got most of them at Snapdeal. It's raining deals, deals and deals in India these days !
Mom	Oh ! I wonder if he buys at least inner wear in a physical shop !
Daughter	Mom, if he could buy jewellery online, why would he buy innerwear from a physical shop?
Mom	Hmm… anyway, where are they going for honeymoon?
Daughter	Maldives. Kiran booked a honeymoon package on MakeMyTrip - includes transport to airport, flight tickets, hotel accomodation, sight-seeing, blah blah...
Mom	Okay. How come your desk is so neat?? Where is your desktop computer?
Daughter	Ha Ha. I sold it on OLX site yesterday, from my mobile. Internet is Fun !
Dad	how are you going to work on your assignments now? You were talking about Google being your best friend.
Daughter	Now, everything is my mobile Dad. I can even search by using voice commands with my phone. Oh, again Mamata Banerjee is throwing tantrums and she's gone one step ahead and saying that there will be early Lok Sabha polls. Damn !
Dad	I am just watching that news on TV! How do you know that?
Daughter	I've got Live TV on my mobile - Internet is Fun !
Mom	Your dad has been watching this stupid news for the whole day. I am missing my favorite TV serials every other day.
Daughter	If you want, I can show you the latest TV serials from Youtube on my mobile.
Mom	See, my daughter is always there to help me.
Dad	Ask her to pay electricity bill first. Otherwise, she cannot charge her mobile and say 'Internet is Fun' from tomorrow.
Daughter	Dad, I paid it from…
Dad	From your mobile phone. I know. [ he is beginning to get upset that the next generation is able to do so many things just using a mobile, without moving an inch ]
Daughter	Yes.
Dad	Ok. Your mom and self are going for a movie this evening. Where ever you go in the morning, come back early in the evening today.
Daughter	Sure. If you want, I can book tickets for you using BookMyShow on my mobile - Internet is Fun !
Dad	I changed my mind. We shall go to a restaurant and have a romantic evening.
Daughter	Great ! Shall I book a table for you through Bookurtable ? If you still insist on going to a restaurant, I can check out on Zomato about reviews of nearby restaurants.
Dad	[ Grr…… ] Nope. We shall go to Kohli uncle's house and spend our evening there.
Daughter	I read a message from Kohli uncle on Facebook yesterday that he is going to watch IPL 5 match in Bangalore today ! BTW, it seems he booked the IPL tickets on the Internet. I don't want to go there all the way. I watch it live on my mobile over Internet. See, Internet is Fun !
Dad	[ temper is raising… ] Then, we shall go out to buy some groceries.
Daughter	Dad, you can buy groceries on the Internet now. Check out bigbasket, mygrahak and other such stores.
Dad	[ the stakes are increasing… ] We shall go to temple, get the blessings of God and return with prasad.
Daughter	If you want peace of mind, you can certainly visit the temple, but if you are keen on blessings and prasad, I can order that online.
Dad	[ give-up… ] Instead of doing all these fun things on the Internet, why don't you apply for a Job?
Daughter	Dad, I am working on a couple of freelancer jobs, which I got through Internet. I am not interested in a full-time job; I want to become an Entrepreneur. I need your help for that Dad. I would need about 10 Lakh Rupees as initial capital to start my own company.
Dad	[ sarcastic… ] Why don’t you ask for funding on the Internet?
Daughter	I did apply to a few Venture Capitalists by browsing their sites and sending e-mail. I did connect with a couple of them on LinkedIn, a professional networking site. In fact, I did all these things from my mobile. I am yet to hear from them. Oh, while we were talking I just placed an order for 100 shares of Financial Technologies through National Stock Exchange (NSE) - Internet is Fun !
Mom	Dearest, I don't feel like cooking today. Is it possible to order some food online?
Daughter	Tell me what you want Mom. This Genie is at your service on Mother's Day. Do you want South Indian, North Indian, Chinese, European or Thai?
Mom	[ Still Laughing… ] Get me a Pizza baby !
Daughter	Domino's - Done ! I got a good deal - buy one get one free ! Internet is Fun ! BTW, it is going to rain for the next three days. Weather application on my device has given a warning. If you want any fruits or vegetables, let's order on the Internet NOW !
Dad	Why do you keep saying 'Internet is Fun'? You guys are addicted to it and forget about the rest of the world.
Daughter	Dad, I say that 'Internet is Fun' because It allows me to do all the things which I want - work, learn, read, listen, watch, buy, sell, chat and talk - without leaving my house. Those verbs pretty much describe my life in a nutshell. Moreover, I can fulfill our wishes and yet stay close to you all ! Internet is Fun?
Dad, Mom	[ pause and silence for 3 seconds... ] Yes. Internet is Fun ! [ They all get into a huddle and cherish the moment… ]
Daughter	Super! Now, if you excuse me, I need to get back to my room and 'Hangout' with my friends on Google+.

This article fits well into the theme of my blog, but written more in the context of 'Internet is Fun' contest by Vodafone (http://vodafone.in/fun) and Indiblogger.