A Lot of Questions

Hello all,

Today my brain is turning over so many questions. I often need to write things out to really think them through, but typing is much faster and can keep up with my thoughts much better. This may be a long post, but I hope it is useful to all of us, and I hope I can get some opinions/answers/more thoughts on it all.

First of all, here is where my thought trail begins: the world we live in today is a completely different world than it was 15, 30, 50 years ago. Today, we are all connected through so many social media outlets. Facebook allows us to "keep up" with people we wouldn't normally "keep up" with. Twitter allows us to read others deep, humorous, or informational thoughts and share them with others, or to post our own. Instagram allows us to share pictures of our feet on the sidewalk and our lunches for that day. (Just kidding, I love Instagram!) One idea can travel thousands of miles and touch millions of people, thanks to Youtube, as well as these various forms of media. We spend so much time "connected" to people via the internet, without really being connected to people. (Check yourself next time you're tweeting or instagram-ing while out to dinner with a friend. How many times do you check your phone? Are you really with the person you're posting about, or is your brain too busy being "social?") What was life like before all of these new inventions? Well, I don't really know or remember. But I can assure you, time spent with people was spent with people. Being "social" didn't mean sitting behind a computer screen or smart phone, and communication was more than 140-character messages. People wrote letters (New Testament, anyone?), spoke to one another, and read books. And I know this: when people had a cause to stand up for, they spoke to people about it. I can't imagine Martin Luther King Jr. accomplishing what he did by debating with his opposers on Facebook. The thought is almost humorous. I can't imagine Paul writing a letter to the church in Corinth via Twitter, hash-tagging #Corinth so everyone could read it. All I'm saying is, people knew how to communicate well. And sometimes I wonder, have we lost a vital skill? Are we out of practice? Perhaps we have pruned the synapses in our brains too far, and our focus for the written word has become a little shorter?

Now, all that to say: I understand that there are definite pro's to new technology. We can communicate important information much quicker than we could before. Imminent storms, national security threats, invitations to events, information available for research, good news from loved ones, etc... I mean, today I played "Words With Friends" with my Dad who lives in Romania while we were on Skype. Years ago, missionaries waited months to receive letters from family and friends, if they were able to communicate with them at all. These are all good things.

But are some things not fit for Facebook? So many controversial subjects are constantly being debated online, and where I seem to see the most heartache, arguing, and anger is via Facebook. Subjects such as politics, abortion, gay rights, and many others are being argued about via lengthy battles of comments, trailing down someone's profile. Every once in a while, I have inserted myself in an on-going debate on a particular subject. But what I have found is this: Facebook, by definition, is set up to be about self. An individual will post what he/she thinks, wants, feels, or knows. He/she will post pictures of his/herself, statuses, or notes that project an image that he/she wants people to see. Facebook is set up to show off "me" (or at least the "me" I want others to see). And this plays into most people's conversations or debates online. No one is there to read or learn. Everyone is there to say something. The few times I have inserted an opinion or a proven fact, no one listens. Everyone is there to prove their own point, and I've never seen anyone come away from any of those debates with a better worldview, opinion, or mood. Can we really effectively communicate truth within the limitations of social media? Would efforts be more effective by real live face-to-face conversations with people? (Insert your cause here: the Gospel, politics, abortion, women's rights, gay rights...) The written word can be read and misunderstood in so many different ways, that a simple sentence that one person meant as kind or factual can be taken as rude or angry. There is too much room for miscommunication.

That's where another question comes in: is it worth it? Is it worth posting something that is true, when there is so much goofy junk being posted already? (Don't misunderstand me: the question is not whether or not truth is worth standing up for. It is whether or not Facebook or other media is the place to do it.) Let me give you some examples. Anyone remember the Kony 2012 campaign? This was a video that immediately went viral, and was supposed to start a movement. As it turns out, the maker of said video turned out to be a little looney, and the facts of the issue seemed to be mistaken. (Apparently the "movement" has someone continued, though with less enthusiasm than it originally produced due to much controversy.) How about the various memes posted about our President or other political figures in the spotlight? Or what about pictures of Jesus arm-wrestling Satan, or something similar? (lol) Just because a picture with bright red words on it says something, does that make it true? Or does it even communicate a point effectively? If there is truth out there in the sea of memes, viral videos, and popular beliefs, would it really be heard by anyone who didn't already take that stance in the first place?

Now, I want to point something out specifically to those who believe in the authority of the Bible. 2 Timothy 2:23-25 says this:

"Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of truth..." 

Christians, what is our place? Scripture clearly indicates how we are to go about sharing truth. Can we really do this online?

Even if you are not a Christian, how do you receive messages put forth by pictures such as these:

My fear is this: we will automatically accept something as truth if we already think along those lines, even if it isn't true or we haven't researched it at all. We act on our emotional ties (don't kill grandma!) instead of reason.

Sorry for the long post, but I hope I communicated my questions and thoughts clearly. I only want to encourage the body towards what leads to unity and mutual edification, and everyone toward a possibly better form of communication and learning. Please share thoughts, comments, and other questions with me. I'm a youngster with a lot of thoughts and a lot of questions.

Love,
Hannah