Is Social Media the New Responsible Realm for Influencers or the Battleground for Fools?

Do not answer a fool according to his folly,
Lest you also be like him.
Answer a fool according to his folly,
Lest he be wise in his own eyes (Proverbs 24:4-5).

Why do you post on social media?

This platform for family and friends to connect seems to go off the rails when it comes to political discussion—and there is plenty of that lately. I write this blog once a week and post it on social media, but I rarely enter into online discussions. When I do enter in, I usually regret it. It is rarely edifying and sometimes I am the one at fault. I have watched church members and family members go at one another’s throats on a platform open for the entire world to see. People seem to think that they need to be in the KNOW on everything, comment on everything, and change the thinking of everyone. Even if we do manage to avoid that delusion, the habit of using the platform for venting also does damage. What we often end up doing is speaking before listening, and driving wedges between people who should live in love and unity.

I read one writer recently on Facebook who said that spiritual leaders have a responsibility to use social media as a channel for influence, but there are some major obstacles that make that kind of influence very difficult (but not necessarily impossible).  I am just going to be transparent here about my own problems and concerns about posting on social media.

I represent more than just myself on social media.

I am a pastor and also serve in several other visible roles. There is no way that I can just post as me unless the posts are personal family matters. I cannot make a political comment or vent without it reflecting on a large number of people. I also minister to a wide variety of people with backgrounds and connections vastly different than my own. My words have the potential to wound others in ways that I cannot easily anticipate.

This does not just apply to me. A teacher who vents about a political subject has to remember that he has students who read what he says (or reposts) and might be wounded by such comments in ways he does not anticipate. Church members venting on the present social crisis should take the time to remember that a police officer might sit in the row in front of them and a black family on one side or the other while they worship together on Sunday morning.  We are one family in Christ, and loving families consider one another before making public comments.

Social media is not the platform for me to deeply listen and understand.

People do not share their deeply traumatic experiences and personal struggles online where they run the risk of misunderstanding and ridicule. Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are not safe environments for sharing on that level.

I need to listen more.

Most of the time you are going to get watered-down versions of real communication online. Sit down over a cup of coffee with another believer and really talk if you want to move toward getting the real story. Christians need to start deliberately taking the time to listen to one another’s stories.

I have chosen to post less opinion and repost even less than that.

Reposts can be a problem. There is nothing wrong with reposting an article that could be a benefit to others, but I wonder if some people even READ all the articles they repost, especially as many as they repost every day. I have tried to make sure I read everything I repost, but sometimes the article I reposted did not say what I thought it said.  Many times I am better off saying nothing—no matter how witty the comment might seem to be. I have never wished I had posted more, but there are posts I wish I could take back.

So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath (James 1:19).

The most frustrating conversations are probably not the ones worth entering. I read a thread a while ago where I came across this quote.

“If I hear another old white guy say discrimination goes both directions, I am going to pull my hair out.”

There is no point in commenting on that one. If the writer cannot see the irony in what she just wrote, she will be incapable of responding favorably to a comment of any kind (and she already told me my opinion does not matter based upon my age and ethnicity). There are Proverbs 24:4 moments and there are Proverbs 24:5 moments.

I am still working through all this. I have a lot to learn. Until I am confident I can be more edifying, I am going to err on the side of posting less.