“Facebook!”
Love it or hate it. You cannot deny it’s power and pervasiveness. It has changed our culture.
If you use Facebook, I want to ask you to consider this question:
“What attitude are you bringing to Facebook?”
So often it seems that people will put a status update about some current reflection, a funny thought, or an emotion. They are just putting this out there because it is on their mind, they think it is funny, or they just want to share. It is not vulgar, or even inappropriate, just a random thought or feeling at the moment. They have not considered all the implications of the statement, they just want to share it.
But then when people read the statement, they offer critical comments. Sometimes they make comments from a spiritual perspective that are really belittling to the person. It can turn a funny, simple status update into an issue that was never intended.
Personally, this is why I rarely put funny or random thoughts on my Facebook page. This is why I like Twitter much better, because you don’t get the comments.
The problem is the critical, cynical, holier-than-thou attitude that many use when they read Facebook. This would not happen if people would read Facebook with an encouraging, benefit-of-the-doubt, light-hearted attitude.
I think it is different if someone puts a post where they are taking a position on an issue and they are directly or indirectly wanting feedback on that status. But even then we need to not have such a critical, judgmental attitude.
Two examples of what I am talking about:
1. A friend posted one morning about hearing shots in her neighborhood. She was concerned for her family’s safety. They thought it was a gunman loose in the neighborhood. She stated that they found out it was a man who committed suicide. She then ended it by writing, “not that that makes me feel much better.” She was chided in the comments by others who suggested she should be concerned about the man, his family, and trust God for her safety. She ended up taking down the post and posting an apology saying she should have trusted God and been more concerned about their neighbor and his family.
2. Another friend posted a funny joke about folks who drive around the parking lot of Wal-Mart trying to get the best parking spaces. He said it was because of them he can park far out, get some exercise, and still beat them into the store. Just a funny remark that he thought while in the parking lot of Wal-Mart. He was taken to task for being insensitive to the elderly, handicap, and feeble.
These two stories just illustrate my point. But if you have been on Facebook anytime you have your own stories. Why are we so critical? Don’t we have better things to do with our time than go to Facebook and set others straight.
So what attitude do you bring to Facebook? Don’t be critical and judgmental (Mat. 7:1-5). Follow the golden rule (Mat. 7:12). Remember Ephesians 4:29 in your comments on Facebook, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”
3 comments
I very much agree. It is interesting how “judging” is so politically incorrect in other areas of life, yet so many do it on Facebook. Facebook when used the wrong way can be so impersonal. Thanks for taking on a topic that needed to be addressed.
Facebook accrding to me has increased the level of lies telling in the world
I cannot completely agree with you. If you find an opportunity, any time, to help a person to realize the wrongness of their actions, as long as you are using God’s word as the “judge” you should do it. I put scriptures on FB often. As do many people. I have been criticized before for expressing an opinion concerning gays etc. I took that as an opportunity to teach them what God says.