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There have been so many intense debates on how Facebook is changing our cultural DNA and how so many of us are delighted to be sharing our most intimate moments online. However,the beauty of the first ultrasound is something only parents can appreciate. Gross or not is a personal opinion. It may just be a baby picture,but it’s also a picture of a uterus and would you want that up on a public forum? My pregnant Facebook friend,clearly had no such qualms. Her wall was crammed with congratulatory messages. I heard later that her family and husband were appalled and eventually,the picture was replaced.

What’s interesting is in India,even the coolest among us who have access to the best medical facilities tend to get crazily superstitious,and view the birth of a child as a historic feat. Decades of having one of the highest rates of infant mortality in the world have made us cautious. We’re reluctant to celebrate too early. Yet,despite it all,that’s clearly changing.

The mission of social networking sites is to make the world a more open place,and very soon,we’re going to have nowhere to scramble for cover. At the rate we’re going,even the rules around what is considered pornography are set to change. So far,Facebook has a pretty hardline stance on nudity and ruthlessly terminates your account if they consider your picture inappropriate. Mostly,people put up photographs of holidays,parties or any celebration. Recently,I saw pictures of a wedding I attended on November 14,up online on November 15. Sharing your great moments instantly in real time as you are experiencing them,has never been this important. It used to be a joke that you flee whenever a newly married couple took out a wedding or honeymoon album. Now it’s staring at you the moment you log on. And when you have nothing to do,or rather when you’re avoiding what you have to do,you will find yourself going through some random’s marriage album.

I click a picture a day,minimum,of anything I find interesting. It usually just stays on my phone. I haven’t switched to a Blackberry only because I don’t like the camera on it. I have tens of albums online,because Facebook also works as a terrific picture storing device,for free. And I’ve run out of space on Picasa. But after exactly five years of being on Facebook,I guess I’m a little jaded. I recently changed the Privacy Settings on my 16 albums to Only Me.

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