Guarding Our Keyboards

Social networking is on the rise. There is no denying it. But is it a fad or is it here to stay?

This video shows us that social media is becoming a tool utilised by businesses to increase their advertising, but it is also becoming the way we become known amongst our peers, colleagues and family. Everything we put on social media sites, such as facebook and twitter, can be accessed by everyone on our friends list, and unless you’re very tech-savvy, the friends list of your friends list. Personal information can be distributed and shared across a wide ranging network that often we can not see the end of.

I’m not writing this to cast doom and gloom over social media – I do use it and find it useful for communicating with friends and family, but there is a responsibility that comes with using these kinds of communication tools.

Have you ever posted a status you regretted? Have you ever become annoyed and frustrated with someone or something, and immediately vented that anger online? Have you ever sent something to the wrong person? Or posted a comment on someone’s wall that was supposed to be kept private?

The problem we can face with social media is that it is very difficult to take back what we have said. Tens and hundreds (possibly thousands) of people have seen our personal thoughts that were posted online before we stopped to think about them.

The internet depersonalises what we do. Things we may never say in person can easily slip out online. This may not only be detrimental to us, but those the comments were directed at, and our faith. How Christian would we appear if people viewed our facebook statuses and tweets alone?

Proverbs 21:23 says “Those who guard their mouths and their tongues keep themselves from calamity”. It was wise advice then – maybe we should remember this next time we go to our keyboards, with a few adjustments –

“Those who guard their keyboards and their updates keep themselves from calamity”