Correcting social media

[Lamb]

Do you correct your friends on social media when they use scripture poorly thinking it means what they intend...but it doesn't?

I've had some of my husband's family and friends post some verses to prove their point but it showed they were clueless about the bible and pulling verses out of context is a bad idea. At first I was pointing out that those verses did not prove their point and in fact showed otherwise. But I've discovered they don't want to know the bible...they just want to be right.

 

[tango]

You know how every classroom has a kid in it that eats paste? I always assume that arguing on social media is like trying to reason with that kid.

Social media isn't about learning, it's about virtue signalling and, as you say, being right about everything. If ever there was a modern phenomenon that matches what Jesus said about casting pearls before swine I think it's social media.

 

[Josiah]

e...they just want to be right.

Welcome to Social Media....

It's a good place for finding old friends.... for sharing funny videos of your cat.... that sort of thing. And it's been a blessing to a LOT of churches in this whole pandemic thing.

But LOTS see it as a free, huge SOAPBOX with a potential audience of 7.7 billion people.... where one can SHOUT whatever they want (doesn't matter how stupid, how wrong). The problem is, there's a billion others doing the same thing. LOTS of noise. Enormous DIN. So, the only way to get heard is to be louder, ruder more radical, more "in your face" than the next guy. With lots of divisive slogans and "one liners." The struggles for "likes" and "shares" is SO great that little things like civility, honesty and respect are simply laid aside. IMO, much of the blame for the radicalness, the divisiveness, the lack of civility in our society today can be laid at the feet of social media.




.

 

[tango]

I've often referred to it as unsocial media or even antisocial media.

Even down to little things, like when the default settings were cutely referred to as "in-app sounds", which meant that if you were chatting on Messenger it beeped when you sent something, beeped again when the recipient read it, clicked and beeped as they were typing. Hugely antisocial to leave sounds like that in places like a waiting room or, well, anywhere that there are a load of people endlessly beeping while others don't want to hear it. It's not as if it adds any value, it just makes the whole thing annoying for everyone else.

Of course "discussion by meme" that tries to turn complex issues with many facets and nuances into a witty one-liner and, by implication, labels anyone who doesn't agree with the witty one-liner a fool (because, you know, it really is that simple that anyone can see it) does little other than exacerbate the growing divisions in society.

Thankfully social media is much like blogs, and what was always said about blogs was that it was like a load of people in a room where everyone was talking and nobody was listening. A world in which "getting involves" means nothing more than clicking "Like" and moving on is a world where even the most radical nutjobs have a huge following of nothingness.

 

[NewCreation435]

No, I don't think it is my job to correct everyone on social media. That's a waste of time

 

[vince284]

Social media? I really don't have a hangup with it. I really don't care, I just change the channel.

 

[ImaginaryDay2]

I tend to skip over it if it's out of context, such as:

"...Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will..."

AMEN???