A letter to our brethren and sisters regarding social networking
January, 2014
Preamble
The SMC Internet and Electronic Issues Committee was asked to look at Social Media/Social Networking and give us useful information as well as any recommendations they felt were needed. This letter is a result of their research and recommendations, but comes to you from the conference ministry.
Consider the following questions:
– What is social networking?
– What are its uses?
– How should we (as a church) address it?
What is Social Networking?
“A social networking service is an online service, platform, or site that focuses on facilitating the building of social networks or social relations among people who, for example, share interests, activities, backgrounds, or real-life connections.”
from Wikipedia
The predominate social networking service is Facebook with 1.1 billion global users registered as of March 2013.
What is its purpose?
When we asked why they use Facebook, people we talked to answered with some variation of “To easily stay in contact with friends and family.”
What’s on Facebook?
What you see on Facebook is largely determined by who you “friend.” (One exception to this is advertisements.)
The content on Facebook is generated by the users and this content can mostly be lumped into three groups: “Posts,” “Likes,” and “Messages.”
Posts: Posts are the posting of information by your friends. This ranges from status updates (“We just got back from a picnic on Skyline Drive!” etc.) to whatever information the poster wants to share. This can be a short message (“Got a 10 point buck this afternoon.”) or a piece so long very few will bother finishing it.
Likes: If you pay attention, you’ll see many sites have a little “thumbs up” button containing the word LIKE. If your browser is logged in to Facebook, you can click this button when you see a product, article, blog post, etc., that you like or enjoy and want to share. When you press the “like” button it then puts a link to that item into your Facebook Feed, so your friends see it as something you endorse.
Messages: Facebook messages are messages directly between friends. You can think of it as similar to text messaging, but not limited to your phone. If both parties are online you can “chat” live, or if the recipient is offline they will receive a notification of a new message next time they log on.
By default, you receive a stream of updates on your main Facebook page from everyone you friend, but you can unsubscribe from a friend, so they can only message you directly and you won’t see their posts and likes. By using the “friends lists,” you can also control who sees your posts and whose posts you see.
Ads: Facebook is a free service. One can debate whether Mark Zuckerberg (founder and majority owner) is more interested in making money or helping people connect with the people they love, but you can’t debate the fact that running a service as huge as Facebook is not cheap, and as a publicly traded company they have a responsibility to make money for their investors.
Facebook’s main source of revenue is from ads served on the pages of the site. These ads range, like most modern ads, from innocent to disgusting. These ads over time also try to tailor themselves to your interests. Later in this letter we will suggest two ways of hiding the ads.
Facebook is for Friends, not Neighbors
For Christians, if Facebook is used, it should be for friends, not neighbors. Do we treat our online “friendships” with the same care as our offline friendships? In real life we are careful not to form close friendships with the ungodly. Do we “friend” them online? It is not healthy to be bombarded with the goings on of the wicked. This may mean awkward conversations with friends or family members as to why you can’t “friend” them, but Facebook is not the place to be friendly with the unsaved. If an online friend or family member starts drifting and generating objectionable or unholy content, we need to have the presence of mind to immediately unfollow/unsubscribe from them and strongly consider “unfriending” them. If they want to know why you are unfriending them (they get a notification if you unfriend them), you would have a prime opportunity to witness or share your concerns with them.
Truth of Perspective
Sharing on Facebook is generally filtered to present oneself in the best possible light. There is also a natural tendency toward vanity, since the idea of Facebook and social media is to share, and we will share what we want people to know about us.
Specific Concerns
Here are some things that concern us as we think about social networking and Facebook in particular:
– Time Spent. Even when our phones were tethered to the wall, many hours were wasted in useless chatter, or simply too many conversations that were not the best use of time. How much easier is it with cordless and mobile phones, texting, email, and Facebook?
– Information addiction. Are we driven to answer messages right now, regardless of what we’re doing? Do we have to be up to the minute in the happenings of our friends, our family, or even the world at large? Considering how many people say they need to spend less time with the news, information addiction is something we already have to deal with, and social networking is another place that we may find ourselves feeding that addiction (especially those who are more social by nature).
– Social pressures, especially for youth. We all enjoy the friendship of others, but for many youth, the need of acceptance and the desire for friendship is even more acute. The ease of electronic communication makes it more important to avoid over-sharing (whether cross-gender or not). The close involvement of parents (research and education) becomes even more crucial in cases where a family allows their youth to use a social networking service.
– Are we re-evaluating our choices? Very few people give up their cell phone, home phone, second or third vehicle, etc., even if they realize they no longer have the same need they had for it originally. We need to regularly evaluate the things we spend time and money on and be willing to drop them if they hinder our Christian walk.
– Just because something is allowed doesn’t mean it’s something everyone has to do. Each person and family needs to make a well-thought-out choice when it comes to things such as the use of mobile phones, social networking, or even email and vehicles for their children.
– Privacy. There is a false sense of privacy in these services. This comes from Terms of Use that are broadly written in favor of the service provider, as well as the ability for “friends” and “friends of friends” to copy your information and share it with others. There is also the possibility of personal information being accessed by security breaches into social databases, government requests, and the fact that many services let advertisers have deep access into their user data. As for Terms of Use, many people don’t read them, and therefore don’t know that they are often giving the service extremely broad, or even unlimited, license to their content/information/data. Nothing put online (or even sent via text message) is ever gone. Not only have people seen it and possibly copied/saved it, it has also been backed up on numerous servers. Consider the things people say or do in jest, the photos of non-resistant Mennonites “fighting” or wrestling, or the comments by parents on Biblical child training and discipline. Who sees this?
Addressing the Issue
As a church, we have not chosen to ban the use of social networking sites. We commend those who have chosen not to use it, and encourage any who do use it to guard their usage carefully. In social networking (just as “real life” relationships) each individual must take the initiative, not only to guard his own heart, but also to provide spiritual input and encouragement to his brothers and sisters. We need to be open to helping others and to being helped by others—on to higher ground. Propriety in relationships always takes effort, both personally and in practical everyday brotherhood.
Specific Things Facebook Users Should be Doing/Not Doing
Here are some things for Christians to do (or avoid) on Facebook:
– Make an informed decision. We don’t buy vehicles or machinery based on the word of the salesman alone, but we do our own research. Do your due diligence before adopting new tools and services for communicating.
– Remember to use these technologies discriminately and don’t assume that since something is “allowed” it is safe to use regardless, or it is something you need to use.
– Use an ad blocker, such as AdBlockPlus in the Chrome or Firefox browser. You can also limit the ads you see on Facebook by going to m.facebook.com instead of www.facebook.com.
– Immediately “unfollow” and/or “unfriend” people posting or liking any objectionable material.
– Be involved. Whether it’s parents, spouses, or spiritual siblings, be there for each other. Facebook’s Terms of Service don’t allow for the sharing of passwords, or account access by anyone other than the account holder, but they do not exclude people from sitting together while one uses Facebook. We may not always have the fortitude to make the right choices in life, but by the power of God, and the help of our brothers and sisters, we can live with clean hands and upright hearts.
– Do not use Facebook as a place to kill/pass time. It’s a tool, not a toy.
– Evaluate the time you are putting into these things and adjust your habits accordingly.
– Consider periodic “fasts” from social media, news media, etc., to improve your perspective on how you are using God’s time.
In Closing . . .
One SMC member on Facebook said this:
“Like the rest of life, [Facebook] is what you make of it. You have people who post petty nonsense and you have people who post deep and challenging thoughts.”
A hammer on a workbench is not dangerous, but wielded carelessly (or with malice) it can cause immense damage. Are we playing with tools?
Please note: This letter is not a complete overview of the issues surrounding social networking, but we feel it is important to bring the most prominent points to the forefront for our warning. Not only is social networking a huge subject, but it is tied deeply into how society socializes and communicates as a whole.
With God’s help, may we prepare our hearts wisely, and use our time and efforts for the good of His Kingdom in all that we do.
With brotherly concern,
The ministry of Southeastern Mennonite Conference