From the Desk

Social media has permeated today’s culture with millions of users on sites such as Facebook, Twitter and, most recently, Yik Yak, as well as several others.
From average users sharing photos and big family news, such as engagement or pregnancy announcements, to companies encouraging interaction among customers and spreading promotions, the sites are versatile in their uses.

In addition to all the pictures of my friends that did receive their ring by spring, my Facebook and Twitter feeds have recently included all kinds of positive stories.

The social media sites have shown me, and thousands of others, the story of baby Shane, who was prenatally diagnosed with anencephaly and subsequently accomplished a bucket list of actions via his parents taking special trips for him while he was still in his mom’s womb. The story gripped the hearts of people across the nation, as they were able to follow his journey through pictures, from his pre-birth journey to his death hours after his birth.

Supporters of the family offered so many encouraging and uplifting words and simultaneously spread awareness of the disease.

And for every sweet story shared on social media there are probably hundreds of similar, positive stories shared every day.

After seeing these stories, I am encouraged by the idea that the invention of these sites is really a great thing. Score one for the “social media is a
good thing” team.

And then, the ugly side of social media rears its horrible head, and the positives of social media are outweighed by the negatives. The phrase “it’s a blessing and a curse” perfectly describes the phenomena of social media that has enveloped our culture.

While social media can be used to keep in touch with friends and share good news, it is also a breeding ground for negativity, from complaining to disparaging comments. Perhaps you have noticed. Or maybe you have had your head buried in the sand. Or you may just live under a rock.

A few years ago, the term “subtweeting” was created to describe the passive-aggressive act of tweeting negatively about a person without actually mentioning the person by name.

Fast-forward to today and take a quick look at the comments section on any major news story. I guarantee you will find dozens of rude or uncalled-for comments full of crass words.

Scroll down your Facebook news feed and count the number of statuses complaining about a person or situation. I would venture to say that it is
more than a few.

Open Yik Yak and start reading, maybe trying a different approach this time. How many of the yaks have uplifting words? How many are not complaints? It is probably easier to count these kinds of yaks rather than the opposite. It is a much smaller number, I am sure.

Although there is plenty of good to be found in social media use, the things that are not beneficial in any way — which include all of the complaining and negative language — have saturated the sites.

In general, our culture is too quick to use social media as an outlet to voice our frustrations. But this should not be the case. It will accomplish no good.

Posting complaints for all your friends to see will not make the situation better. Writing horrible things about another person — whether he or is she is simply a peer or in a position of authority — will not fix all your problems. And, posting disparaging comments and words anonymously does not suddenly make it OK.

While I am not blameless by any means, I have realized that it is important for me to use social media in the right way rather than as a public diary for venting.

In Matthew 12:36 (ESV), Jesus says, “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak.”

While Jesus did not have social media during his time on earth, I do not think he included a clause stating that the words posted on social media will be exempt.

Think before you post a status. Think before you yak. Think before you tweet.