In my last post, I gave my analogy for the world of social media, Twitter in particular. I said that Twitter is like using a megaphone to speak in a very large, very crowded room. This understanding of the nature of Twitter should then inform the ethic that guides our use of Twitter. Last time, I presented the "don't's" that come from this understanding of Twitter. Now, I'll give you a few "do's."
#1 - Do connect with other people in the room. One of the great things about this big room with lots of people in it is that it enables you to develop relationships with lots of people. Use Twitter to connect to people you can learn from, people who can learn from you, people you would like to know better, people in your community, people in the same field of work as you, people engaging in ministries you have a heart for. There are limitless possibilities of people with whom you can connect on Twitter. Twitter should not merely be a place for you to get stuff off your chest. The real value of it is the connections it enables. Now, this doesn't mean you can't be selective. I am. I don't follow everyone that follows me, and I'm not constantly adding new people just to try to get my own follow numbers up. I choose who I want to follow based on the value I think will develop from the relationship.
#2 - Do be real on Twitter. People connect with you on Twitter because they want to get to know you, the real you. Don't just shoot off stuff that sounds like it came from a Hallmark card or a daily devotional. Give people a glimpse into your world, what your daily life is like, what you wrestle with, what joys you have. Twitter is an easy world to wear a mask in, and there are a lot of people who do, but you will get more out of the experience if you take the risk to let others know you for who you are.
#3 - Do use Twitter as a means of encouraging, supporting, and praying for other people. If you will watch Twitter with eyes open to the opportunities to minister to other people, there are a lot of them out there. People often post stuff that you can simply reply to with a "Praying for you." And if you post that, pray right then for them. Don't just say it; do it. Twitter also is an incredible network for discovering a need and responding to that need. If you see someone needs help, and you know a way that you and your network of friends can help, then do it.
#4 - Do use the full functionality of Twitter: @replies, DMs, retweets, Twitter lists. This one is pretty nuts and bolts. Take some time to actually learn how to make the most of Twitter. It will help you avoid some of the "don't's" if you just know how to @reply to a post someone has put up, or to DM someone instead of sending it out for all to read. Retweets enable you to get word out to your network about something you read that you thought was valuable for them to read also. And, Twitter lists or a Twitter client that categorizes tweets for you will help you make your way around the crowded room without just getting a bunch of noise.
#5 - Do tweet regularly. Now, I know that seems in contradiction with one of the "don't's", but there needs to be a balance. You don't need to tweet so much that people get tired of you and turn you off, but you also don't want to tweet so little that people forget you are out there. If you are in a large, crowded room, and all you do is stay on the edge of the room, never talking to anyone, never interacting with anyone, it won't be long before others don't even notice you anymore. Really, about all it takes to do that is one or two tweets a day.
#6 - Do take a break from time to time. Take a Twitter Sabbath every once in a while. Have a day where you are completely unplugged, where you go dark for a while. Sometimes, you need to get out of the room, and invest in relationships in the real world.
#7 - Do engage in real world relationships. It's important to remember that this very large, very crowded room is an imaginary room. As awesome as the world of social media is and as many relationships as it facilitates, we need real relationships with real world people. We need people with flesh and blood and tears and hugs and laughs. We need people with whom we can have more extensive conversations than 140 characters at a whack. We need people who can pick us up when we fall or kick our butts when we are wandering in dark places. Engage in Twitter, but also engage in life.
So, that's my stab at an ethic of social media. I'm sure there are other principles that could be added, but those are the governing principles that I use. Some of them I am more successful at than others, and some of them I am committed to giving more effort to. I hope it helps you. I also hope that you will spend some time thinking through the ethical implications of the social media world for yourself and develop some principles for yourself.
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