Social Networking with Care

Brad posted last on this blog and told us he was going to disable his Facebook account, staying off of it for the rest of the summer. I have to say I hear what he is saying, and I think his post deserves a second look. There was much in his post to think about and quite frankly that I agree with. And yet, I have to say this might be the counter argument of sorts to his. I would say anything in this life can become an addiction. Also, anything in this life can be abused, misused, overdone, and soon be death dealing instead of life giving. Facebook and other social media do not escape this reality. What I fear Facebook and other social media has done is take away the care we use when dealing with a real human. Since distance and the illusion of anonymity which comes from posting alone, and yet being in the midst of sometimes thousands, takes away many filters, we tend to be bolder, but also much less discerning. So, while a sabbatical, as Brad suggests, might be good from time and time and maybe even necessary for some, I think the real issue is the effort and care we put into the posts we make, the intention and care we put into our communication. It being so quick, simple, fleeting, it simply becomes a stream of consciousness without the care for what we say. So often this has become about quantity and not quality, about volume instead of content.

While posting or texting during a worship service may detract from the experience for some, it may enrich it for others, and in fact, the well thought out reflection, sent out for those who did not make it, or may never make it, could be a life line for some. Instead of shutting it down, I would advocate less posts and more thought on the fewer we do post. Perhaps thinking about what we post as if we were saying it to one of our most cherished friends, while at the same time considering it could appear on a billboard on I-5 tomorrow would provide a bit more quality, where technology is actually serving us, helping us, connecting us, bringing us closer to reality, not inverting it. Brad was right on about one thing, our communication through social media should be life giving, profound, provocative, inspiring, challenging, not dull or draining. With thought and care and discernment I believe it can be.

Bishop Greg