Facebook… the double-edged sword

This is a topic that has been heavy on my heart. Facebook can be a great thing and yet it can be so destructive. I’d like to shed some light on how I intend to use Facebook and how I view it in the grand scheme of reality.  

Facebook… what a double-edged sword. Most days I am thankful for it and how it has connected me to friends and family. It has given me the ability to keep up with people I otherwise would have lost touch with. It has given me a voice and a channel through which I can share my heart and the gospel with others. Heck, even introverts have a voice in Facebook. That’s awesome! Years ago, if you were not loud and proud, you were not heard. Through the blessing of social media, any voice is heard and even the smallest of people are able to impact thousands. And yes, I do believe one’s mind can be changed through the fostering of rich conversation on Facebook!

Other days, though, I am tired and saddened by the negative uses of Facebook. While most of us have a pixelated profile picture and our real names listed on our page, one still maintains a level of anonymity and protection because you are sitting in front of a screen and not across the table from the person you’re slamming. Nowhere else… in my honest opinion… is the condition of our heart most revealed. What we say on Facebook reveals the true condition of our hearts.

Some would argue that Facebook has created bullies. I would argue that it has not created bullies but rather given a channel through which people who were already bullies can do what their hearts lead them to do… bully! Truly, Facebook does not create… Facebook BRINGS OUT what is already there. 

That girl who vents too often on social media… Facebook has not made her this way, rather, she would be thriving on attention with or without Facebook. That cage-stage Calvinist… he likely would be stirring up arguments with a self-righteous attitude with or without Facebook. That mother who brags about her child too often. She would still think her child is the greatest of them all with or without Facebook.  Facebook just gives people the opportunity to sin more often and openly. In that way, it can quickly reveal the state of our hearts.

Matthew 12:34,
^“Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”

It is out of the abundance of our heart that we post status updates. It is out of the abundance of our heart that we share things. It is out of the abundance of our heart that we write blogs. It is out of the abundance of our heart that we debate, argue, ridicule, gossip, mock. It is out of the abundance of our heart that we use Facebook. That is hard for me to admit. Truly, I am saying these things to myself as well.

Let me explain how I treat my Facebook page: 

Facebook, to me, is like my living room. It is not like the public square where one might open-air preach. When I step out into a public square and open my mouth, I am inviting anyone and everyone to say whatever they want to me, however they wish to say it. I DO NOT do this with Facebook. You can come into my living room and you can agree or disagree with me. But, if you start insulting me, if you start damaging my reputation through malicious and wicked comments, if you attempt to publicly humiliate me or my loved ones, I am not going to allow it. 

If I err, my true friends on Facebook are not going to slap me across the face in a public forum. My true friends are going to private message me. Those who do not care about me and do not love me are the ones who slap me across the face publicly. THAT, I will not tolerate.

Truly, I have felt convicted in this area myself. Have I used Facebook for evil instead of for good? Yes! And I regret that and ask for God’s forgiveness. I think we all need to be aware of how we are using social media and our motives behind what we are posting. 

Did you post that to hurt someone else or to make someone else feel lesser? I know I’ve felt targeted by certain individuals and what they post. Often times the timing of a post is too obvious and it’s easy to see that the intention behind what they posted and that it was posted at a specific person. If this has been done to you, the ‘hide’ or ‘unfollow’ button comes in handy. If you’ve posted something in passive aggression, please take into the consideration that whomever you are targeting is a real human being, with a pulse, with feelings, with a soul, made in the image of God.

I get tired of people saying “Chill out! Facebook is not real life!” While Facebook is not all of reality, it is still part of reality because none of us are truly anonymous bots. We’re humans behind a screen. The fact that we are communicating behind a screen does not make us any less human. What you say to me behind a screen does not make your words any less real. So the “Facebook is not real life” argument is invalid and typically an excuse to be a bully.

Now before I end on a sad note, I want to say that I love that social media has given me the chance to share my heart and to share truth. Even this blog post would not be able to reach other people if it were not for Facebook. What a gift that is! I have had wonderful, insightful conversations with brothers and sisters who care about me and want to show me truth. I’ve created stronger friendships and connected with individuals who live thousands of miles away from me. 

Facebook is a blessing and is not inherently evil. All I am saying is that we can use Facebook for evil. And that is not okay.

I hope this post helps you look at your own heart and helps you ponder on the question, “Am I using Facebook for good or for evil?”

Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.
Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
Matthew 15:18 But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person.
Proverbs 12:18 There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
Matthew 12:36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak,
Proverbs 16:24 Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.
Matthew 12:37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.
Proverbs 15:1 A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
Proverbs 13:3 Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.
Colossians 3:8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your
mouth.
Proverbs 21:23 Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble.

xoxo, A Law Student’s Wife