First we’d mark them on calendars and in diaries. Then came the digital organisers. The online reminder service too had its days of glory. And then arrived FaceBook – swiftly obliterating our memories of birthdays, anniversaries, and other such dates and occasions.

Today, you no longer need trouble yourself about remembering birthdays. Your FB profile does it for you. You don’t even need to look up those special days and posting greetings on a wall. Just use an application that’ll serve as your social secretary. And you bet, earning those ‘so nice of you to remember,’ messages is easy.

We recently tested FB-dependency for birthday reminders. A member changed his birth date in the settings and it reflected the next day as his birthday. Wishes streamed in (43% from the friends list). Even from friends who had till the previous day seen a different date! Even from friends who attended last year’s actual birthday party! Only a few who trusted their personal memories rather than FB’s updates spotted the trick. (Of course, we got some flak for it.)

Lesson learnt: FB is fast becoming (and is) people’s social reminder. And as some would say, an absolute relief.  After all, who wants to dig up those dates from some deep corner of the brain, when you can have it all at a mouse-click?