Will Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, WhatsApp and whole bevy of other apps now be banned in India? As the Centres new rules regulating digital content comes into effect, there is presently rampant speculation that some of our favourite apps might soon become unavailable in India. And while that makes some rejoice and others lament on Twitter, hundreds are also taking a nostalgic look back at simpler times.
For many of us, the first brush with social media and online networking came with Orkut. And so, as 'WhatsApp Ban', 'Twitter Ban In India', 'Instagram Ban' and other associated hashtags began trending on Twitter, the now defunct web platform was right up there with the big names of the 2020s. Orkut, they said, was the true original.
At the time of writing this article, there has been nearly 2000 tweets using '#Orkut', with many wishing that it would come back. "I still love #orkut it was real Social Media Platform. I was there on the last day Sep 30 2014. Scraps, Groups, Testimonials it was all fun and Genuine Friends (sic), read one post.
"The term #Orkut brings always a smile to my face. Only those who are in their 30s know the value of this word," remarked another.
For those who live under a rock or are far younger than Orkut, allow us to explain further. Named after a Google employee, Orkut was a social networking service founded in 2004. While similar in concept to its successors and rivals, it was perhaps the first such platform to gain international recognition and popularity. In the mid-2000s, it enjoyed immense popularity in India, with most of the younger generation creating accounts. By the time it was shut down, Orkut had become a community of over 300 million people.
On Wednesday, as many remain convinced that India's favourite social media apps will be banned shortly, Twitterati have come forward to honour the pioneer with memes, jokes and fond posts. Take a look:
(With inputs from agencies)
