How Can I Make Sure I'm Behaving Like a Christian on Facebook?

The following is a transcribed Video Q&A, so the text may not read like an edited article would. Scroll to the bottom to view this video in its entirety. 

Social media is such a funny thing that people think it is bad. It is neutral. It is neither bad or good. It is a communication tool. That would be like saying talking is bad. Talking is bad depending on what words come out of your mouth, but talking is not the problem. Technology is not the actual problem. It is kind of like money—it is a very powerful tool that can be used for lots of different purposes.

The place where I think people can get a little caught up is in the anonymity of it. About a year ago I made a vow to myself that when it came to any sort of written communication (email, texting, Facebook, any technology) if I was not communicating pure information or encouragement, if it wasn’t just about a transmission of information or something encouraging, if it had any emotional nuances to it at all, then it needs to be a phone call or in person conversation. I am not going to have emotionally nuanced conversations over email, text or Twitter. That is just an accident waiting to happen. It is just a big traffic jam, an accident of miscommunication waiting to happen. All kinds of things that people intend do not come across the way people intend.

If you have a problem with a snarky tone, say what you are going to write out loud. If you wouldn’t say it in front of a person, if you are doing a weird underground passive-aggressive comment about someone you know, just think about that for a second. Realize that you are a grown up and cannot act this way. Sometimes you just need a check. And if you are not sure just walk away.

I love honesty. One of the things I appreciate more than anything about social media is peoples desire to be transparent, to feel connected to one another in ways beyond just superficial. But there is a fine line there and sometimes you need to walk away before you come back. If you are a blogger sometimes you need to leave it in draft for a day. Nobody’s life is going to be changed by you posting it right then, you can wait one day and read it again and make sure you are honoring and glorifying the right things with your words, even if in the midst of it there is hardship. There is no reason to feel weird about social media itself. It is a mode of communication just like talking. The way that you talk and express yourself is as important or more out loud as it is on social media.

The other thing that is interesting about it is that it can be a bit addictive. Everyone knows that time seems to stop on Facebook. It’s like, “what happened, I was in the Facebook vortex I don’t know what day it is or what year we are in”. You don’t know why you cared so much about your sorority sister’s cousin’s baby but the picture you just couldn’t stop looking. And then you say, “what did I just do with my life.”

So, when it comes to being an intentional person and cultivating the right things it is good to know that it is powerful, it is a powerful tool and can have sway over your life in a way you did not intend. If it is starting to do that, the best way to know if it is doing that for you is to stop using it for a while. If you think you may be addicted to your phone, your Instagram feed, or Facebook then don’t use it. Actually, delete it from your phone for a day or two and see how you act. If you act like you are in detox, then you probably need to detox. That is good. All of us probably need to do this. Walk away for a little bit and then you’ll know what place it has in your heart. 

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