If you’re living and breathing right now, chances are that you probably can’t get away from social media no matter how hard you try. I just found out this week that my Grandpa has joined facebook! Seriously…I remember the days when facebook was used for the primary purpose of staying in touch with your long lost friends and perhaps posting pictures of the latest social event you attended. Now you can play mafia wars, give your friends virtual “gifts” (seriously, who wants a ‘virtual’ candy bar…give me the real thing!), and advertise yourself, product, or company.
Like most things, I believe that social media can be used for good or bad, depending on how we use it. For example, I have a friend who organized a prayer walk this week for their community and invited people to this event using Facebook and Twitter. Sounds like a good thing to me! But at the same time, I’ve personally found that facebook, twitter, or other social medias can consume much more of my time and energy than is healthy.
So what? I think it’s important that we examine our lives to see if the things we participate in are benefical not only for us but for the people we care about. If a husband is always checking his twitter feed for the latest sports news, how much time is he paying attention to what his wife or children need from him? If I spend 30 minutes a day looking at pictures from last weekends party that I wasn’t invited to, what good is that doing in me? If I’m consumed with winning mafia wars on facebook, am I really maximizing my time? Psalm 90:12 says “Teach us to number our days that we may present to you a heart of wisdom.” This verse encourages me to consider the limited days of my life and to try to focus on what God’s calling on my life is and to consider how social media plays into that role.
How does social media help or hinder your life?