Are you on social media? If so, which ones? Facebook? Twitter? Instagram? Linkedin? and the list goes on and on. When you read an article on the internet there seems to be an endless supply of social media networks available to share the story. Many people are connected on multiple social media sites and visit them all regularly.
You can walk into many restaurants today and see a family of four sitting at a table saying nothing to each other, yet all communicating on social media. They’ve opted to ignore the people sitting in front of them and have chosen to focus on people who may or may not be paying attention to them. It’s so superficial. How can this be called social media?
You sit in front of a computer to type your thoughts and share your pictures with people you may or may not see. You’re not looking at the person or even having a real conversation with them and yet we think we’re social. Our culture spends more time sharing surface information with people rather than developing deep relationships. We are almost all guilty of it.
People can’t see how their words impact another on social media. It allows us to shirk the responsibility of our words. You can’t read facial expressions or body language on social media. You also don’t have any control over tone or inflection of the reader. The same sentence can be read and perceived a variety of ways.
People say things on social media they would never say in front of a group of people in person. Why is that okay?
Genesis 1:26 tells us we were created in God’s image. God is all about relationship [Matthew 28:19]. He conveys the importance of unity in relationships in John 17:22-23 where He says,
I have given them the glory that You gave me, that they may be one as We are one: I in them and You in Me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that You sent Me and have loved them even as You have loved Me.”
God is about setting aside intentional time to communicate with Him and others [Mark 1:35]. He understands the power of words [Proverbs 18:21]. If communication with Him and one another is so important to Him, it should be important to us.
Who do you intentionally invest in each day? Where do you spend the majority of your time? In front of a computer attempting to be social or in front of people being social? I enjoy using social media like everyone else, but we have to make sure we don’t allow it to take the place of authentic relationships. Who are you talking to today?
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