Social Media is a phrase
being tossed around a lot these days, but it can sometimes be difficult to
answer the question of what is social media. If Facebook is a social media
site, and Youtube is a social media site, and Wikipedia is a social media site,
then just what is social media? It’s all of those and more. This term encompasses many variations of
Social and Media including - news, bookmarking, photo/video sharing,
information, and networking. I think its fair to say that we have discovered
even though they are named “friends” most of the people we touch via technology
are, at best, acquaintances. But that
may not even be true…
The Urban Dictionary describes
acquaintances as “Someone you know personally but is not officially your
friend.” Perhaps a better term might be a contact. That name is not very warm
or fuzzy feeling but for most of our “friend” lists its probably true. See how
the Business Dictionary describes “contact”: An individual's private or personal information by which another person, business, or entity can use to reach the individual. This can also be used to indicate a person.
Ken Mueller is the Director of Marketing & Communications at Tellus360 in Lancaster, PA, and is the proprietor of Inkling Media, with more than 30 years of experience in the media industry. In an article on his website he made the following comment regarding Socia Media: “Social media brings with it the power of community: trusted friends and contacts from whom you would take advice. As one friend of mine put it, “social media is word of mouth on steroids.”
I
agree social media has power but I do not agree that it brings the power of
community. Community at its core is about people really knowing each other and
relating to each other. It’s true, it can facilitate community, but it
is not in itself the power of community. Also, since when is introducing a foreign
element, like steriods, into your life to unnaturally deform you a good thing? This
writer also tells us that we develop trusted friends via social media. The best wake up call to that un-truth is in a
recent TV commerical that shows a couple reading dishwasher ratings late into
the night. The reviews are written by ridiculous usernames such as "PeanutBubbles44."
They begin to trust what they're reading, until they realize how absurd they
sound and slam the laptop shut. Opinions is what we get online – not trusted friends.
Trust and friendship needs to be developed offline and over time to be true. Click here to see the commercial - http://www.ispot.tv/ad/7UVo/sears-experts-you-can-trust-username
Another
interesting quote about social media was seen on The Huffington Post: It read, “Remember
that people naturally gravitate towards people who they find relatable and who
have similar experiences and interests. Investing in relationships can build
loyal fans.” Fauzia
Burke
Perhaps that’s the key. Fans. People have lost the ability to make friends
and have resorted to making fans or achieving the most views and likes. Making friends
takes time and energy – aka Investment.
It involves getting into each others lives – aka relationship. Its about
the willingness to be affected by others and the willingness to affect others
in return. Look at the photo here with
all of the faces. They look like a happy
group of friends. However, the only
thing they ties them is a thin line of random, impersonal, inconsistent, (probably
one-sided) communication.
Social media sites have given us the ability to stay connected to those friends
and family members we may not be able to spend time with often. It can also
provide the launching pad to develop friendships. It can also be a place to express
our ideas and broaden our knowledge. But it should only hold the power we give
it. In the end it cannot replace personal
touch and compassion.
In this age of socialization by technology we’ve actually been overloaded with
images, stories and videos to the point that we’ve lost our ability to see each
other. We’ve traded compassion for so much empty data. As a society we’ve lost
our heart for each other. How many hours do we now spend on our laptops, texting
on phones, and playing games on other devices instead of talking with people or
serving our community?
Admittedly, I am not good at making friends. I’ve also lost the part of me
that serves others regularly. I want the return of those elements in my own
life. This Bible verse below was used a
number of years ago as Pastor Doug Healy taught about compassion. It is awakening
in me the need to be more social than media.
“Now that you have
purified yourselves by obeying the truth, so that you can have sincere love for
each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.” 1 Peter 1:22 (NIV)
Also From Pastor Doug:
Compassion opens the
door for supernatural moments.
We carry God’s heart of
compassion.
Compassion moves us to
action.
Click below to see a few COMPASSION VIDEOS
SONG: CHANGE THE WORLD FOR ONE
40 ACTS OF COMPASSSION
THE BATTLE FOR COMPASSION – SHORT FILM
PRACTICE COMPASSION
COMPASSION IS A RESULT OF UNDERSTANDING https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=HQKoWEhp8no
A world expert on empathy, Tania Singer explores how improved cognitive and mental skills foster stability of mind, open hearts and encourage cooperation. After a short talk on the neurobiological basis of compassion, she'll leads a special DLD workshop.
** Lord, your heart is what I want. Your eyes for others is what I want. Remind
me when I reach for my device to reach for a person instead. Help me use my “contacts”
in a way that brings you closer to people and people closer to your heart of
compassion. Show me opportunities to be compassionate in my everyday life and
forgive me for looking the other way when I saw it but couldn’t give my time or
energy. Thank you for being true,
patience and compassionate with me.**
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