I was forced to sign up for Facebook. We were sending young adults to the Radical Journey mission program, and the only way to keep up with what the participants were doing was to follow them on Facebook.
Always a little reluctant to include more media in my life, I signed up and told everybody that I didn’t want any friends. After a while, I asked two work colleagues to be my friends so that I could learn how to be a friend. Then I bought an IPad. Now I am an active participant, using it almost daily.
What is it that led me down this media road and keeps me plugged in? Several things:
- In the past, I relied on my elders to pass family news by phone to all of the cousins. Now, I must be on Facebook to find out if someone is having a baby or getting married or preparing for a funeral.
- I’ve reconnected with cousins and reunited with a long-lost friend through a news report.
- I am able to share a laugh or a concern with my old friends, and
- I have made new friends and connections.
I am also very aware of the perils of social media. We know it has an impact on emotional health, but we are not sure to what extent yet. Especially for young people living in this virtual time world, the pressures are enormous. There is no way around it; whatever you post projects an image, so by necessity users are all engaging in image control. Some people have told me that when they are on for too long they think that other people are having a better life than they are, and it becomes discouraging. Being a social media user can trigger negative emotions, lower self-esteem and incite feelings of depression. It has even led to suicides.
If faith groups are to understand the cultural climate and social pressures that people are facing today, we must not only explore, but experience, what it is like to participate in social media. Faith leaders need to be online to comprehend today’s culture and what our members are experiencing. There is no way around it; if you want to be able to connect with your people, you need to engage in this new reality.
So don’t be reluctant like I was. Pick something, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and get involved. Take a slow journey if you need to, but do connect.
Faithful HR 