Dear friends and members of University UMC:
Most everyone I know has a love/hate relationship with social media. This was true even before the news this week that Meta would no longer be fact-checking.
Social media offers great benefits when it comes to sharing and connecting. It’s one of the ways I stay in touch with friends from college. And I confess I am among those who, at times, will post a selfie. I’ve even been known to post a picture of my food. I say this to own my hypocrisy because I also tire of the way posts can turn into some sort of competitive sport. I have a healthy enough ego so I can own that perhaps I’m at times jealous. After all, despite the number of videos I’ve watched, I still don’t know how to take a selfie so my face looks younger and I still don’t know how to position my arms and legs in a way that makes me look taller and thinner. On a more serious note, when comments on Facebook turn into a not-so-friendly debate the sharing and connecting isn’t all that uplifting. And while social media has been a place where I receive information, issues of authenticity and truth-telling are legitimate and call into question what is real and what we can trust.
Ever since being on platforms like Twitter and Facebook, I have seasons where I post frequently and seasons where I am radio silent. Some days I delight in all I experience from other people’s posts. Other days I feel like I’m close to sinning by even being on the platforms. I was especially haunted by reports indicating that teenage girls on Instagram were more likely to experience depression and even self-harm. On the flip side, there is the part of me that considers the amazing ways the Spirit is at work among the wonderful people of University UMC. There is so much good news to share! When our Facebook account got hacked months ago, I –and others–experienced it as a true loss. When the problem was finally solved in December, we remarked in a staff meeting that it felt like Christmas came early.
Here’s what I know – decisions about whether to engage in various social media platforms are complex decisions for each individual to make on their own. If you have ever found yourself wrestling with what choice to make, you are not alone. Weighing the pros and cons is important. Being gentle with yourself and others is important. And guarding ourselves from harshly criticizing our own decisions or those of others is also important.
You’ll find me on Facebook and Instagram along with our University UMC account for the time being. I also started a personal Bluesky account weeks ago when I finally decided to delete my Twitter (now X) account. During the earlier months of the Covid pandemic, I was tweeting simple morning blessings and evening benedictions. I hadn’t saved those words anywhere else. When I was clear about my decision to delete my X account, it took a while because I wanted to save the blessings and benedictions. I’m now sharing some of those on my new Bluesky account, along with beautiful quotes I’ve discovered in my readings. You can view a few of my recent posts below and I’ll, of course, continue to share good quotes from my reading here in these Friday notes.
I look forward to seeing you Sunday where worship will include a ritual to reaffirm our baptism. The liturgy includes these statements:
