Having said that, I know that my tendency is to engage in debate. Indeed, I love to debate. To avoid the temptation to engage in a back and forth, I’ve determined to share status updates via my Twitter feed (which is linked to Facebook). For me, Twitter presents far less of a temptation to engage in a back-and-forth debate than does Facebook. Plus, I am less inclined to post trivial items to Twitter, which provides a higher standard to determine what is worthy of sharing on social media.
My third principle for social media is that social media never presents the whole picture of a person’s life, values or personality. It is not even possible to determine tone of voice through social media, unless one is using all caps, of course. As a result, we get a skewed picture of what a person believes, what they value, how they think, etc. That is true, by the way, regardless of how much a person posts on social media. For example, we all know the “excessive” poster … the one who tells you every restaurant they are in, at every meal. Obviously, there is more to the person than where they eat a meal or what they had for lunch. Even when posting on social or political issues, the nature of social media presents a skewed perspective of one’s beliefs and values.
As a Christian leader, I have determined that it is not productive to present deeply held—and sometimes controversial—beliefs in sound bytes on social media. The opportunity for misunderstanding is simply too great, particularly in a culture that often views biblical beliefs as bordering on hate speech. Instead, I will present my understanding of issues, biblical texts, etc. through blogs, articles and books. While it is true that doing so is a more one-dimensional approach, it will allow a more detailed examination of issues than a 140 character tweet or a status update.
My goal here is to help other Christian leaders and believers in general to be more intentional and productive in their social media interaction. Social media can be a great servant when it is accomplishing the purposes for which you intend it. But, it can be a brutal master when it takes on a life of its own. In that regard, it is wise to consider Paul’s words from Ephesians 5:16-17: Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.
