F&M III: Social Media

Everyone reading this is actively using social media. Most of you have clicked on this from your own social media platform (i.e. Facebook, Blogger, etc.), but have we really thought about this idea of social media? Have we accurately and effectively gaged the impact and proper use of it?

In my last post, I discussed the idea of being easily distracted from God's will by morally neutral things in life like Facebook. But it goes deeper. This isn't about not overusing media -- it's about how we use it. It's not enough to say that you don't put up questionable pictures on your Facebook. What do you put in your statuses? What videos and links do you post on people's walls? What types of comments do you leave on pictures? Which pages do you "like" and applications do you use?

I have recently come to understand a little better how truly radical the Gospel is. I guess I never noticed it as much because I grew up Catholic. The Bible and its stories constantly surrounded me, and Jesus' teachings were always told to me. Being Catholic, we are catechized and taught the Bible almost without knowing it -- the liturgy of the Mass, memorized prayers, repetitious responses, etc. It's always been part of my way of life, but when the Gospel is truly and fully lived, people notice. People change. It's different. It's radical.

This summer I realized that I'm tired of pretending like I'm not really living a radically Christian life. I'm exhausted every time I go home and try so hard to hang out with my friends without rubbing anyone the wrong way, without letting them forget that I was a public school kid my whole life like them, without doing anything that convinces them I've changed into a "prude," without doing too many obviously Christian/Catholic things when they're around so as to avoid any potential tension. The fact is, I am different. I don't care about the same things anymore. I don't find the same things funny. I only buy Christian music. I do think about Christ constantly. I do read almost only spiritual books. I am deciding my life based on faith. I am living radically.

So back to social media. Pope Benedict XVI worded its benefits beautifully in his Message for the 43rd World Communications Day. I strongly suggest reading all of it, but the section that pertains particularly to my points here is this:

In this light, reflecting on the significance of the new technologies, it is important to focus not just on their undoubted capacity to foster contact between people, but on the quality of the content that is put into circulation using these means. I would encourage all people of good will who are active in the emerging environment of digital communication to commit themselves to promoting a culture of respect, dialogue and friendship.

Now, we can take this alone and implement it quite decently in our lives, in our use of media. That is fine.
Or we can take this and make it completely inseparable from the radical call of the Gospel. We can understand that everything we think, say and do is an integral part our salvation, of our universal call to holiness.

That random photo comment we post on Facebook suddenly becomes that much more important...