Sit down at any restaurant and look around at the families that are enjoying a nice evening out with their smartphone! I’m just as guilty. No condemnation here. BUT! I have been making strides in ridding myself of the appendage that has grown into a more pronounced tumor known better as my iPhone 7 plus.
Here are three reasons to reconsider the frequency of our Social Media usage.
Social Media makes us a society of meaner people. The nature of social media traction is based on the extremes. The more blatant and flabbergasting the claim, the angrier the mob that replies. And the cycle is unstoppable. We become mindless likers, haters or friend requesters. I’m convinced that the vast majority of the time we like or comment even if we haven’t read or considered any context in which the original statement was made.
Social Media dumbs down the power of personal relationships. I know folks that are more concerned with how many likes or views than they are developing any meaningful, personal relationships. This is a problem! How many of us show the real us on our FB page? How many of us show the hurt, frustration, and struggle of our lives on Insta? I know, right? We post perfectly photographed sunsets, edited with perfect filters and we all are just having awesome days, even if we aren’t.
Social Media can distance us from our family and real, look across the table friends. In a world filled with fractured families, lonely people, and over-sensitive, politically correct conversations, we really need to seek real-life purpose, service, and relationships. Disconnect to Connect.
I’m a fan of social media. I communicate with church members, old high school friends and people that I may never meet in person. But a post or a direct message will never replace the ability to have coffee with someone I can help, someone that can help me…or even better, someone that might enjoy the conversation that makes us both better people. It’s a rare thing these days, but meaning relationships are critical if we are to ever become all that the Divine has in store for us.
–AChuck
