Social Media

I’m really thankful for all of the wonderful technology that we have ready access to. And when it comes to communications technology I am thankful for the incredible advances made in my lifetime that have brought us things like the internet and social media. I am thankful because it allows us to share our lives like never before. What a blessing!

“We read to know we are not alone” wrote C. S. Lewis. We could say the same about writing. The use of the written word has been elevated to amazing heights by the new technologies. Just think about how the spoken word (unless it is recorded) simply goes off into the air never to be reheard (except allowing that God is able to recover those very words spoken to the wind  - for example see Matthew 12:36). But the written word is a recorded word that is saved for posterity and perpetuity. Writing … the printing press… computer key boards … it’s all old technology now, but these technologies as they continue to develop allow us to share with others in more and more powerful ways.

Are there problems? Oh yeah! But, it is really no different than any other technology. The chainsaw comes to mind; a very powerful tool and one worthy of immense respect. So are words. Technology itself is amoral. It’s all in how we use it. Anything can be used for great harm or for greater good. I was reminded of this some time ago when a young lady made the news because she had gotten herself in trouble for posting some of her indiscretions online. Her words ended up coming back on her and used against her. The purveyors of conventional wisdom at the time were preaching their version of the moral of the story - be careful people what you post online because it becomes so public. Not bad advice but it does miss the more important point – be careful what you think, say and do, whether you think it might become public or not. The real problem isn’t that someone might see what we have done/posted. The real problem is that we would do/write it in the first place. The real problem is not that we might be found out. The real problem is that God already knows. As it is, our present culture seems far more concerned about being found out than it does about us being what we are supposed to be.  

These are powerful tools for sure. And they can be used for great harm or great good. They can be used with wisdom, skill and virtue. They can be used carelessly, ruthlessly and with poor judgment. The technology is there. It’s up to us how we use it. It can be a great friend, other than the fact it knows nothing of forgiveness.