Social Networking

Social Networking - It’s not new. Even if the phrase is trendy, the concept is older than the human race. But, what IS continually new is the technology we use to do it. This blog is an example of social networking, but hardly compared to things like facebook, twitter and texting. And with the ongoing advent of extremely innovative and powerful technology, there is a growing problem, not unlike the problem we are seeing with the increased potency of various medications available today.

A new study out this past week indicates that American college students may be ‘addicted’ to instant connections. According to researchers at the University of Maryland, the words commonly associated with drug and alcohol addictions are the same words used by students to describe how they feel when they are forced to go without these connections for any length of time. They speak of withdrawal, craving, anxiety … and they say they get frantic, antsy, miserable, jittery and even crazy.

The researchers who did the study, asking students to go without the use of social media for one 24 hour period, concluded that most college students seem practically unable to function without these connections.

There is a question as to whether this is about the social media itself, or about relationships? I’m thinking more the latter. One student wrote afterward how, “texting and IM-ing my friends gives me a constant feeling of comfort.”

The old saying goes, the more things change, the more they become the same. I can remember passing notes in class and being reprimanded on an ongoing basis, along with pretty much everyone else, for ‘talking’ in class. And since when is it new for teens to spend hours talking on the phone with their friends?

People haven’t changed but there is a huge warning in all of this. If we fail to control the technology, the technology will end up controlling us. As we are being enabled to connect more often with more people in more ways, we are going to need more self-control.

That’s not really that comforting at a time when self-control seems to be at a premium. However, we can’t just give in to this. We need to challenge ourselves and our children to know their boundaries, set limits and seek to live balanced lives. As great and as wonderful as ‘social networking’ is, there are times when we need to be free from it so that we can give our full attention to the task (or the person!) at hand.

And there are times when we really need to be alone too. This allows us quality time with God focusing completely on our relationship with Him, meditating on what His Word says to us. God has left us a very large and critically important text message and prayer is the most important connection we have.

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.” Ecclesiastes 3:1