Recently I posted something online that had a little bit of “edge” to it (in reality, I was just frustrated about something and was venting), and someone close to me sent me a message about how it hurt their feelings. I remember feeling strange about the whole interaction to be honest. We cleared things up, but it made me think about how we interact, and what is considered normal these days.
There has been a lot written about the potential effects of social media consumption, how it impacts our thinking and interactions, as well as what could be coming as a result of our conduct. Some say it doesn’t really matter, while others are waving red flags.
The truth is, we don’t really know a lot yet. Social media has only been a real player for the last 15 years or so. We can’t predict a lot of what will come of this age of social media connection, but we can make some observations based upon our experiences.
The aforementioned interaction left me wondering how we are supposed to interact, because what happened didn’t feel natural or right. First of all, I chose to vent a frustration on a digital platform to my followers (which aren’t many). Why did I do this? What was I hoping to accomplish with something like that? Upon examination, it was a cathartic exercise that didn’t really accomplish anything positive. I had some people who supported it, some people who disagreed, and then had people who didn’t know each other arguing about something I said.
Read that again: I had people who didn’t know each other arguing about something I said.
Isn’t that a strange outcome?
All of this happened without seeing, hearing, or being in the presence of the people who agreed, disagreed, or were hurt by what I said. Something that substituted for human interaction (social media) became the vehicle for picking up and dropping off feelings and thoughts, totally out of context and without a clear direction.
I haven’t posted anything since on social media. While my interactions weren’t particularly hostile, they gave me cause to think about how I want to relate to the people in my life. While I’m not against social media, I AM for being honest about our experiences.
My experience tells me:
- People tend to think the worst of each other when they disagree on social media
- Tone and context are completely lost on posts
- We post our frustrations to get a response (which is what I did)
- We post our good stuff to curate a positive image about our lives
- Because we read about what is going on with other people, we often do not pursue face-to-face interactions
- Do you disagree with this? Or, does this resonate with you on some level?
To be sure, ask yourself these questions next time you are on social media for any period of time:
- What do I feel about the people I just interacted with online?
- Do I feel any closer with these people?
- How do I feel about myself?
- How would this be different if I saw them face-to-face?
As adults, we need to be thinking about these things. Teenagers are neck deep in this world and many we talk to are looking for something more real, authentic. We have the chance to use social media for the things that are useful, but leave the relationship stuff up to real and personal conversations.
What are your thoughts on this? Has your experience been any different?
Hey, Chris! I’ve been taking a social media fast for the past couple of weeks for the very reason you outlined in this blog. More specifically, I received some negative criticism for something someone else said on social media (what a weird thing to actually say out loud – I was criticized because of something someone else said, and I didn’t even comment on what they said!). I digress, in my opinion social media has made us incredibly hyper sensitive because no matter what you say (good or bad) it’s left out there for someone else to interpret and use however they choose. Pair that with a societal culture that says it’s wrong to tell someone that they’re wrong for their thoughts processes, or that they’re misinformed, and we’re all left in a lose-lose situation. In my last social media post I said that I would be taking a break for a while, and that if someone wanted to reach out to me to call me and I’d take them to coffee, on me. I pray that as we move forward, specifically in student/teen ministry, that we as adults and parents model the value of face-to-face interactions. They’re so much more meaningful. Thanks for what you’re doing (and posting) with Teen Lifeline. I appreciate you!