By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills
We’ve all experienced the occurrence of “alone together.” It’s a reference to social media users: a crowd of people busy with their devices and ignoring those around them.
Social media is a valuable connection and communication tool designed to link people all over the world. Imagine the impact we can have on other people’s lives for good, people we may never meet face-to-face, but we can touch their lives with insight, expertise, and sincere friendship.
We are born with the need for relationships, and social media is a powerful relationship-builder. I’m a strong proponent of social media! I value its power to make this world a better place to live. Consider the following opportunities:
- A digital missionary is able to reach others unlike ever before.
- A teacher who instructs online classes.
- Faith-based programs.
- A visit with family and friends.
- Shut-ins who are now able to take care of day-to-day situations.
- Doctors on demand services.
- A psychologist who counsels online or via phone.
- Virtual offices to cut costs for business owners.
- Professionals who can offer valuable information.
- And the list goes on.
The downside is social media can initiate a lack of human interaction and promote artificial bonding with a device. I’m sure we all agree that is unhealthy and guidelines need to be in place.
A week ago, I posed this question about social media balance on my Facebook page and received a tremendous response. Many of my near and far friends offered tips and solutions that I’d like to share with you.
- Make a commitment that those around us have priority over our devices.
- Meal times at home and at restaurants are device-free. Use this opportunity to enhance the relationship with the person(s) around you.
- The mantra of “be in the moment” with others.
- Be safe in public by keeping our noses out of our devices.
- Ignore devices when driving.
- Schedule social media. Do not let it schedule you.
- When conducting social media, be fully engaged.
We all can fall under the trap of overusing social media. But we can choose to be healthy and enjoy the people around us.
What is your tip for balancing social media?
Congratulations to Lori who submitted the best caption of “A rare photo of the elusive Bird-of-Scare-a-dise” for the picture from last week’s blog post Write a Caption and Win! She will be receiving a $25 Starbucks Gift card. Thanks to all that participated. There were many great captions submitted and it was hard to narrow things down.
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Comments 10
I especially love #6–schedule social media, don’t let it schedule you. Something I need to be much more intentional about. And yes we can certainly use social media for good. At the very least, we can use it to be a light in the often very dark world of technology.
Thanks, Lori, if we’re not careful, technology can take over our lives. It’s so very useful but not to extremes.
Thanks for the reminders, DiAnn. Social media may be essential for writers, but life outside of social media is also essential. Lately I’ve been choosing to make more time for the family, friends, and neighbors in my life–and refusing to feel guilty about it. What a difference “enjoying the people around us” makes. Bless you for pointing that out.
Beth, yes! Our priorities are those God has put in our lives. Thanks so much for the reminder.
Hi Diann. I so appreciate your thoughts on the Internet. We so often see complaints, warnings, and worse about social media, and it’s nice to see someone recognize the services and even personal comfort that can be provided through computers and digital devices. — All best, Gerald Warfield
Thanks, Gerald. So many wonderful contributions to our lives are valuable – just not to extreme.
I read last week that we don’t really have X-amount of friends on social media; we have X-amount of identified strangers. Wow. Without intentional posts and interaction, that is more true than I’d like to admit. I try to post exactly the way I would interact face-to-face, which means my posts are generally about 1) something thought-provoking from Scripture or as relates to literacy, 2) reviews of new books and/or book contests (my friends love free books), or 3) something that amused me. I want to be “me” in person or onscreen. Thanks for the post.
Thank you, Nancy, andf I agree 100%. If it’s not about relationships, what’s the point? See you soon.
“We are born with the need for relationships” – You got that right, DiAnn! We’re wired by the God who’s very nature is relationship only to be happy living in relationship, relationship with Him and relationship with others. At the foundational level, Karl Marx presupposed that we can only be happy in an economic sense. That caused his economics, sociological deductions, and philosophy to collapse due to his gross misunderstanding of human nature. As you said, attachment to our devices can leave us empty if there’s no real ‘social’ in our social media.
Thanks so much for your support of why any of us should be on social media. God will not ask us one day what are your social media numbers – but who we touched.