Post by the CCC Web Services Department
As a society it is hard to deny that social media has completely revolutionized the way we as a people relate to each other and interact with one another. Christian Cultural Center (CCC) located in Brooklyn, utilizes social media as a forum to share love, hope and words of encouragement.
Social media has added an extensive list of jargon to our vocabulary and made more than half of the population connoisseurs of foreign cultures. How effective would social media be if we were not able to laugh out loud (lol) or shake our heads (smh). What social media has not changed is what in fact is being said, what needs to be said and the fact that people still judge the impact of their words by how many people agree, like, share or re-tweet their thoughts.
Social media provides the advantage of masking feelings and emotions that would have once been apparent in the tone of our voice or the directness of our speech. To some extent social media has also limited how much we communicate, while we are able to speak for long periods of time without fatigue, the fast-paced world of social media likes instant messaging, hashtags, 7-second videos and concise repartee and so we condense our thoughts into as few words as possible leaving meanings to be ascribed or inferred. Even three simple words such as “I love you” become an easily inserted emoticon, with little emotion or effort behind it.
There once was a time when we were encouraged to share; to give back as much as possible, with social media we run the risk of over-sharing. If you ponder the predicament closely, prior to social media there was never really such a thing as over-sharing, now the term over-share has perpetuated society limiting the amount of sharing we do outside of social media forums because over-sharing is bad in any situation. Let us not forget Hebrews 13:16 “And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”
Many people will argue, quite validly, that social media has perpetuated the feelings of loneliness and isolation many people feel. Never in the history of human society have we ever been so connected and never before have people felt lonelier. The CCC church has made it part of its mission to utilize social media to connect with people. Some people just need a word of prayer or a kind word and by integrating the social media into our website we are able to connect with more people and to engage them in life-changing experiences.
Social media is a haven for those who have a lot to say but no local audience, or those who have lots to show to anyone who is interested. Social media is all about public speaking without the added fear of stage fright but then again when a place like the church says we want to pray for you, they have no fear, only faith that you will respond.
