O.K., I admit I am not connected in all the social media forums that abound these days. I have a Facebook account and I use it only to view items my granddaughters and grandsons put up, such as pictures, etc. I spend almost no time updating my own pages, because I just do not believe the world is concerned about what I had for breakfast or where I am spending my time. I know some have gotten in trouble, even some pastors, for being too frank about what they said on Facebook or in a Twitter tweet.
What really concerns me is the fact that all this social media is redefining some of our words. For instance, what Facebook calls a "friend" is not what I consider a friend. Most of my Facebook friends are acquaintances, people I like, but hardly someone I would call at 3:00 A.M. to ask for help if I needed it, which is what I consider a friend. I don't even know how many Facebook friends I have, probably around a hundred, but there are probably not more than a few whom I feel like would respond to me if I needed their help in an emergency. The rest are nice folks, people I like, people I have a working knowledge of, some of whom I have worked with, but not what I would consider a real friend in the truest sense of the word. Facebook has taught us that we should measure one another by the number of individuals who have agreed to be our "friend".
Another word Facebook has redefined is "like". If you "like" something on Facebook, it has nothing to do with affection, but everything to do with whether or not you agree with what is being said on that particular page, or if you generally approve of it.
On Twitter the word that has been redefined is "followers". Some people like to keep up with the activity of famous people and have signed on as a "follower". Celebrities, T.V. anchors, etc. have worked to line up as many "followers" as possible, so they can brag about how many they have. Here's a question—Do you think Jesus would have a Twitter Account so that he could brag about how many followers He has? The word Jesus used for "followers" is disciple. Jesus tried to let His disciples ("followers") know that they would have to pay a price to follow Him. He said, "Foxes have holes and birds have nests but the Son of Man (Himself) has no place to lay His head." In other words, if you plan to follow Jesus you have to share His suffering. How many people would sign up to be a follower with that in mind?
So, today's social media has redefined what it means to be a friend and a follower, or what it means to "like" something. It has also given us "tweet", which is what we used think birds did. But, it has also caused us to have to look hard at a couple of other words, such as "communication" and "civility". Communication nowadays is a 140 character tweet that barely gets an idea across, rather than a conversation where two people discuss an issue face to face or at least ear to ear. Communication now is done with instruments other than the eyes and the ears. And "civility"? Forget about it. Think about how many people have learned to say things in a tweet or a Facebook post that they would never say in a face to face encounter? Ugly, spiteful things can be said, or rumors started by a social media contact. Some of the things that social media has caused are not healthy. While social media has been used for a lot of good things, like the uprisings in the Middle East, it has also been used in some destructive things like the Occupy Movement this past fall.
Also, it has been reported that social media has been responsible for an inordinate number of teen suicides because of its ability to spread false, destructive rumors, lies, and hateful statements throughout a whole school campus in mere minutes. With power like that, this media could and should be used for good. Like, why not use it to proclaim your faith and loyalty to Jesus to all your friends and followers? Sure, probably most of these folks who know you already know about your faith, but with the propensity to allow unlimited friends and followers, surely some of those people could benefit from your testimony.
Or, how about using it to have a Prayer Mob, meeting somewhere for an impromptu prayer meeting—to pray for your lost friends or your city, or your school? Since we have this media, let's get busy in the Christian community using it for the glory of the Lord. Perhaps you have already done something like that. How about sharing it with the rest of us by leaving a comment?


