Fed up with social media?
Social media gets a lot of negative press. Beyond the recent news that Cambridge Analytica was scraping data from Facebook users through a quiz app, there are plenty of stories about how social media is addictive and can make us feel bad. And, of course, the news is filled with stories about a prominent person putting others down on Twitter.
I’m not anti-social media. As a nonprofit marketing communications professional, I see social media as a valuable tool. It allows organizations to use their marketing budgets more effectively through carefully targeted messages. (I’m not talking about what Cambridge Analytica did, which was underhanded.)
As for feeling bad, humans have always compared themselves to others; social media is just another way to do that. I do read potentially envy-inducing good news on social media, but I also read about people’s struggles. And how often do your online friends just make you laugh? I probably read more messages that move me to mirth or to prayer than posts that make me wish I had what someone else has.
Not everyone feels the way I do. If you’re concerned about how social media affects you, you may choose to delete your accounts. I won’t criticize you for that. But if you stay on social media, whether you like it or your career requires it, you can use it as a force for good in the world.
Use your accounts to do good.
I’ve already written about a couple of ways you can use social media to make a difference. You can boost someone’s career by writing a recommendation on LinkedIn, by connecting with strangers who could benefit from networking with you, or by leaving a positive review online. Social media can help you step outside your bubble when you choose to follow people who are not like you.
You can also use social media to establish genuine connections. Facebook lends itself to this beautifully. Over the years I’ve found it useful for getting to know people better and even for establishing new friendships. I didn’t know my cousins well when we were growing up. Now Facebook has helped me have stronger connections with some of them. Through Facebook, I’ve reconnected with people I thought I’d lost track of and stayed in touch with former coworkers. Best of all, I met one of my dearest friends through Facebook. Although I seldom send friend requests to people I don’t know, nor do I usually accept them, I once took the risk of sending a request to a person who shares many of the same friends, because I loved reading her comments on their pages. She accepted my request and invited me to meet her. My life has been better for it.
Facebook isn’t the only form of social media we can use this way. I’ve yet to establish a new friendship through Twitter, but sometimes I’ll experience a moment of connection that represents the best of the service. Sometimes when I follow someone, they’ll send a message that doesn’t seem to be an automatic response. I’ll message them back, they’ll respond, and we’ll have a genuine conversation. Other times, I’ll tweet or retweet something, and someone will really engage with me in response. Those moments are gold — the times when Twitter stops becoming a tool for merely “following” somebody or broadcasting to the world and becomes a venue where complete strangers actually connect.
Perhaps the most difficult thing we can do is to use social media to reach out to people in love instead of criticizing others. It can be very tempting to take someone down a peg when we disagree with them. And the likes and retweets we get for a clever insult only validates our behavior. (Even when I’ve resisted a nasty tweet, I’m afraid I’ve validated a lot of them.)
But what do we really accomplish with these tweets, other than showing off? If our goal is to take a stand on something, we can address the issue rather than an individual. If our goal is to change someone’s mind, we can probably find a more effective way than delivering a clever remark at their expense.
There are times when it’s good to call someone out on their behavior. As a Christian, I would describe this as using a prophetic voice. Much of what the biblical prophets said can be boiled down to either “Turn your life around” or “There’s hope.” In the spirit of the former type of prophetic message, there are times to use the communication tools at your disposal, social media included, to tell people they’re on the wrong path. But if you’re thinking about how many people will “like” your message, or if you’re focused on insulting a person rather than correcting them, it’s safe to say you’re more concerned about your own glory than about encouraging someone to change.
So, while there may be times to say something critical to someone, perhaps we should focus on building people up. What if we used the power of social media to say “Well done” or “I’m sorry you’re going through this”? What if we vowed to start being more encouraging?
The story of Chamillionaire’s desire to help the Garcia family shows the power of social media for both good and ill. When the rapper and tech investor read about Jorge Garcia’s deportation, he emailed the reporter, wanting to contact the family. Instead of responding, the reporter tweeted about the email, giving Chamillionaire lots of unwanted attention. Some people used social media to criticize him for supporting the Garcias; others helped him connect with the family. In a series of videos, Chamillionaire expressed distress about the reporter’s behavior, explained why he wanted to help, addressed critics, and mentioned the family’s GoFundMe page. The sequence of interactions sparked by his desire to make a difference shows people using social media to build themselves up, to tear others down… and to help.
If we’re going to use social media, let’s be the people who use it to do good.