Oh how my view on Facebook is changing...

Over the last few weeks I've been challenged with the questions of why do we post what we post on Facebook or Twitter. Why do we make our status's some of the things we make them. What is our motive behind what we post on social networks?

Is it to get a reaction? To see how many people "care" enough to message you and ask if everything is ok? Is it to see how many "likes" we get? Is it to show the world that we're happy, busy, social people seeing and experiencing new things? OR is just simply to share what's going on in your life with your friends and family?

I take selfies, not of myself but with people - so lets call it an "ussie" and then I post it on Facebook. Why I do this? I think it's just to share a little of my life with my friends and family... Well this is why I think I do it. I don't do it to make myself seem awesome/well travelled etc. I just like to share stuff. I like to think that it's not about how many "likes" a picture I post gets or how many comments I get on things I post. Lately as I've scrolled my news feed I've encountered quite a few posts by friends where it's clearly about the "likes" and then they seem disgruntled...

The thing that struck me the most is how Facebook contributes largely to a self centred lifestyle - where everything is about "me". This makes me uncomfortable because God calls us to a Christ-cantered lifestyle, one focused on Him and how he would want us to live our lives.  2 Corinthians: 11:1-2 says "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. Now I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I delivered them to you." I somehow don't think that Jesus would sit on Facebook all day counting how many likes He got. I think he would be out there doing what God wanted him to do. I also doubt he would get upset when no one commented on post or liked something. I think Jesus would be out there making friends and being a real friend instead of disconnecting from community while thinking he's still doing community by communicating with people via a social network instead of calling them or speaking to them one on one.

So my challenge from this... to connect more with people in real life instead of through Facebook, to really build community with people and to actually build my friendships with people... Oh and to post less stuff and get out there and actually enjoy the moment instead of taking picture to post later or even during the activity. I also think I should commit to my whole "off line for the weekend" and not go online during the weekend to check stuff.... Let's see how that one goes.

xKx