Tag, You’re It…Social Networking in Retrospect

Retrospect: (noun) To think about or review the past, especially from a new perspective or with new information.

Christian author, Max Lucado has a book geared towards children that is called You Are Special. The book tells the story of a group of wooden toy people called the Wemmicks. The Wemmicks spend their days giving out stickers to one other. Gold stars are given out for things such as good looks, height, shiny paint, and special talents. On the other hand, grey dots are given out for dull or chipped paint, being clumsy, or saying silly things.

Obviously, you can see where this story line must be headed. The main character, Punchinello, is a charming little fellow who, unfortunately, has been given more than his fair share of grey dots. In fact, he has so many that he is afraid to go out in public for fear of receiving more. Sometimes, the Wemmicks would give out grey dots just because you already had some.

In the story, Punchinello finally meets up with Eli the woodcarver, who is his creator. Eli unfolds a beautiful, loving story about how he created Punchinello and how much he loves him. Eli then invites Punchinello to come see him every day. If Punchinello does this, he will eventually stop caring about what other people think of him, and only care about what Eli thinks.

With that simple children’s story in mind, let’s take a moment to look at the way we label others and what it does to them:

Facebook – This social networking platform has become increasingly popular with individuals of all ages. Have you ever heard of Facebook tagging collages? They seem harmless enough and were, no doubt, created for simple humor and fun. Facebook tagging collages are basically a page of 5-10 boxes with labels. The labels can say anything from “Prettiest Friend” to “Cheapest Date.” What you do is go through the page and attach the name of one of your Facebook friends to each box. Upon completion of the task, you’ve just labeled 5-10 people.  Sounds harmless enough. Just a bit of innocent fun. Until you stop to consider the following facts:

According to psychological statistics, 5% of all Americans suffer from major depression.

1% of all United States females suffer from Anorexia Nervosa, which involves a false perception of being overweight. Of this percentage, nearly 10% will die from suicide or malnutrition.

10% of all young adults suffer from anxiety disorders.

Suicide is the 5th leading cause of death among children. When Jon Gettle died of suicide in 2002, he left a note at the scene, which was his middle school. The note stated that bullying is a real problem. Depression is a real problem.

I could go on. There are plenty of alarming statistics available, but I’m sure you get the picture. As a society and as followers of Christ, we are to make positive deposits into the lives of others. We are called to be patient, kind, enduring, loving, and to believe the best of others at all times.

Ephesians 4:32 tells us to be kind to one another, and tenderhearted. The definition of tenderhearted is to be kind, caring, and quick to show compassion for others. Ephesians goes on to explain in chapter 5, verse 4, “Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place.”

Why do you think the Bible talks about coarse joking?  Because as innocent as it may seem at the time, coarse (which means rough or harsh) joking leaves an imprint or a mark on the person it is directed towards. The person may actually laugh at the time, but when they are alone with their own thoughts, they will most likely experience the hurt that labeling brings.

Just as we plant seeds of faith in others by talking to them about God’s love for them, we can also plant seeds of division, cause anxiety, and feelings of “not measuring up” or “not belonging” with our words.

Facebook and other areas of social media can make it easier to hurt others, since there isn’t actually any face to face contact. I’ve seen rude comments made under photos and other inappropriate joking…all in the name of fun.

If this was something you’ve taken part of, make today your day of accountability. Go through your Facebook photos and look for captions or labels that could hurt another person. Don’t participate in labeling or tagging photos with inappropriate or hurtful comments. Don’t let yourself be the source of hurt to another individual. Instead, become the source of healing and encouragement to those around you. You’ll be glad you did.