Today’s Christian has many ways to communicate. In fact, it could be argued that we have too many ways to communicate. We have Facebook, Twitter, Email, LinkedIn, MySpace, blogger, Google Buzz, Cyworld, WordPress, Xanga, Flickr, Picasa, Vimeo, YouTube and many more ways to send messages, videos, pictures and information to one another, all primarily in a social or informal context.
What used to take weeks in sending a letter now takes less than a second to inform the whole world (or at least those on your Friend list). Technology is ever changing and it increasingly makes it easier and easier to communicate in ways previously never thought possible. Remember Princess Leia in Star Wars? Remember how she transferred her message in the first Star Wars movie (technically, it was Episode IV, but you understand which movie I mean)? She used this super cool 3D holograph thingy to transport herself to record a message for her planet to be saved. Well, scientists think they can do that now. It will be another 10 years or so until it is common in homes, but the technology is there to do 3D holographic messaging.
Technology changes things. Just today Facebook is announcing their “Gmail killer”. They are claiming that email is archaic and needs to be integrated with texting. Some of you are just now getting used to Email and now Facebook is saying that it is antiquated! Instead of spending the inordinate amount of time it takes to email, one only has to text 140 characters or less – think of the time saved!
I do like technology and embrace the changes . . . well most of them. It seems that when it comes to digital communication people think less about what they communicate than they do in verbal communication. But, for the Christian, technology can’t change the same principles that govern speech, writing, or any form of communication. We are exhorted to make sure that our speech is “gracious, seasoned with salt” (Col. 4:6). Does this exhortation carry over to our communication via Facebook, Twitter or email? Indeed it does.
Let’s take Facebook for example. Facebook is huge. According to Facebook, there are more than 500 million active users. 50% of active users log on to Facebook in any given day while the average user has 130 friends. According to Facebook, people spend over 700 billion minutes per month on Facebook. That’s a lot of communication.
Before you update your status, consider what you type. It is much easier to vent, complain, display a bad attitude, or be just be plain mean when you type a few words and click “Share”. I sometimes see things posted that I know people would never say to a person face to face. Marital arguments have been shared on Facebook and complaining attitudes are displayed. The digital way of communicating does seem to take away the sense of personal accountability. But these things should not be said of the believer. The truth of the matter is that we are accountable for what we “share”.
So, consider what you are “sharing”. Is it gossip, complaining, venting, crude or a manifestation of idleness? Examine your heart – what is the motivation for sharing what you do? It might change your status update.
Below are some verses to keep in mind when considering communication – vocal or digital.
I Timothy 4:12 – “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.”
Titus 2:7,8 – “Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.”
Proverbs 29:11 – “A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back.”
Colossians 4:5,6 – “Conduct yourselves wisely toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”
What verses would you say we that should remember when we communicate digitally?
P.S. – Considering Facebook and status updates, the question could be raised about sharing prayer requests or trials via status updates. Sharing a prayer request in such a way could indeed be effective. But for an interesting article on suffering and sharing it publicly, click here. The key is not that it is not necessarily wrong to share with others the trial that you are experiencing, but rather that it isn’t always appropriate for public domain.
