Post With Caution

I was reading a blog recently by a pastor named Jonathan Martin, http://pastorjonathanmartin.com/. He wrote some very interesting thoughts about social media in relation to ministry (though his thoughts apply to any area of vocation). Here's the excerpt:

Last year, I contributed a chapter to a book for Dr. Raymond F. Culpepper called The Great Commission Connection.  I was asked to write about the connection between the great commission and media, with a special emphasis on social media.  In it I wrote at length about not only the promise, but the peril of social media, especially with the ability to so quickly speak destructive words within the Body of Christ without safeguards of Biblical accountability.  I tried to address this constructively in the broader construct of a theology of online life.  To quote myself:
When we have such powerful tools at our disposal, making it possible for us to broadcast our every thought and whim to the world with such ease, the key to using media in our mission may lie as much in our restraint as in our creativity.  Within a matter of seconds, I have the capability to share my opinions about any conceivable topic or issue with the world in a matter of seconds.  But just because I can, doesn’t mean that I should…
I try to heed my own counsel and be cautious about what issues I do in fact choose to address in this kind of format.

Jonathan's words resonate deeply with me. I, too, have found myself with an aversion to Facebook posts and tweets that hastily communicate things that wouldn't be said face-to-face. I agree with him that it's just too easy to hit "post" and send your thoughts out to the world. In my work, people have left our church over issues that could have been resolved in a face-to-face meeting, but instead a train of emails set off a firestorm of hurt and misinterpreted motives. In fact, I hope to share this topic in future conversations, as blogs can cause the same problems as Facebook posts, emails, and tweets. And I, too, have found myself explaining why I said something in an email and what I meant by it. It's just not worth the confusion and trouble.

To reiterate, Jonathan said, "When we have such powerful tools at our disposal, making it possible for us to broadcast our every thought and whim to the world with such ease, the key to using media in our mission may lie as much in our restraint as in our creativity." In other words, watch what you say. This is truer now than ever. If the subject of an email is of significant importance, then that topic probably deserves a phone call. If you find yourself posting and tweeting about controversial matters, whether it be politics, religion, or even the antics of someone in the news, then pause. Stop for a moment and consider how your post will be received by those on your list of "friends." Will you alienate people? Will you offend people? Is this the type of comment that you would share at dinner with your friends?

I read posts on Facebook all the time that I find very...well, let's say 'enlightening.' Most of these posts are random, spur-of-the-moment thoughts. If these thoughts are simply that you're watching CSI tonight, then you're fine. But—and this is a very big but—if you find yourself posting your thoughts on a hot-button topic, then beware. These are the exact thoughts that will get you in the most trouble. If you're truly impassioned about a cause, then write your senator; don't post it on Facebook or Twitter. You will only ostracize yourself and cause others to question your motives.

The Evolution Of Reading In A Digital World

So I've been doing a lot of online reading lately, along with my standard two to three books at my bedside. I'm starting to notice the stark differences between the former and latter, and I'm finding myself a little torn. Every time I think of buying a Kindle or Nook and saving myself a lot of bookshelf space, I run across a dilemma that makes me want to regress to the pre-digital days.

My Digital Dilemma
I'll try to explain my dilemma by example. Every time I start to read a great online article or blog, I find my attention seized by another linked article within the text. Does this happen to you? The best recent example I can find is by a blogger and pastor named JR Forasteros. He has a great review of the new, controversial book Real Marriage by Mark and Grace Driscoll. I loved his review and thought it was very insightful. Still, reading the first paragraph of the review was like having my attention thrown in a washing machine. His review exemplifies what I've been doing here, which is what every blogger and news site seems to be doing...embedding links to anything and everything within their article. It's hard enough to carve out time to read in our advertising and media-saturated world. Now it's becoming harder still. I, like many young men, have the attention span of a 5-year-old. This is especially true when it comes to watching TV, walking through the movie section at Target, or looking something up on the Internet. Here's another example: Click over to AOL and try to search for something. Their Web page is filled with so much distracting, albeit amusing, fodder that you'll forget what you ever wanted to search for in the first place. I say all of this because I find it ironic, and a bit frightening, that I can't read an entire article without clicking on at least one or two links within that article before I'm finished. I get back to the first article and think, "What was this about again?"

This is the new norm. This is how Web sites track what your interests are and sell you stuff. This is how Facebook displays ads that interest you and Netflix knows just what movies and shows to recommend to you. Kind of feels like 1984, doesn't it? I'm not necessarily criticizing what bloggers and news sites are doing by embedding links to related topics. I'm just finding myself slowing down to analyze whether this is a good and helpful trend, rather than simply accepting it. As a society, we should continually slow down and analyze whether or not a new trend is useful, helpful, and, most importantly, good for us.

Let's face it...the digital revolution is altering us. It's changing the way we communicate (or the lack thereof), and it's changing the way we absorb information. So enjoy the technology, for sure. Just be sure to stop every now and then and think about what the technology is doing to you.

For My Own Curiosity  
Did you make it to the end of this blog without clicking any of the links above? Was it hard to come back to this blog after reading those others?