Applying The Golden
Rule In Social Media
Matthew 7:12
Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to
them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
The Golden Rule is the godly principle of treating others as one
would wish to be treated.
When Jesus delivered His Sermon on the Mount, He gave us this
Golden Rule. Our Lord knows our hearts and all that is within us.
Basically, we are boastful and lovers of self. We often look out only for our own
interests, and neglect and ignore the interests of others. Hence
this rule helps us to evaluate and monitor our actions by treating
others the way we like to be treated. Doing unto others what we want
them to do unto us, and also not doing unto others what we do not
want them to do unto us.
Whether we like it or not, social media has invaded into our daily
life. It is an incredible tool for connecting humanity. Along with
the advantages, there are also many social problems and ills as we
have been bestowed the ease and freedom to share whatever things
that come into our mobile phones, devices and minds.
Without scrutinizing and examining the information given by
our friends and other sources, we just pass on messages and news to
others. It has become a 24/7 addiction, draining us of our energy,
time and resources. It has also caused superficial connections,
breaking down meaningful relationships.
Phubbing is a term to describe the habit of snubbing someone in
favour of a mobile phone. In our daily life, conversations halt
very often because we or our friends have pulled out our or their
mobile phones
to travel through some digital spaces into some black holes behind those screens.
Instead of
connecting to the person or persons in the present moment, face to
face or in person, we choose to connect with someone else through
texting or other social media apps. This is hurting relationships
and friendships, and causing unnecessary anxieties and depressions!
As a result, we are now less connected in real life than before! We
have also become more superficial and deluded.
Instead of treasuring precious moments of fellowship and
togetherness, we simply choose to prioritize something else. As we
have treated people badly by excluding and ostracizing them in
person, our behaviors and manners remain unchanged when connecting
with those on the phone.
The truth is that if we are rude, selfish and self-centered in
person, we will also be rude, selfish and self-centered in social
media.
Have we followed the Golden Rule in social media? As in the real
world, we must also treat others in social media the way we want to
be treated. We cannot ditch some social graces, manners, etiquette,
norms and niceties. We cannot afford to be arrogant, ignorant and
insensitive! We cannot do whatever, whenever and however we feel or
like! We must consider the interests of others and esteem them
better than ourselves.
Philippians 2:3
Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but
in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.
As we are talking the talk, are we walking the walk and living
the life? Are we truthful and sincere? Or are we just putting a
facade and trying to look good?
The best way to connect truthfully with others on social media or in
person is to have a personalized approach. All of us are unique with
some different needs and interests. When we begin to focus more on
others rather than ourselves, we will be more cautious in sending
information to others.
Most of the information and messages are not customized, created or
personalized by the senders. They are just obtained from other
people or sources. Some of them are useful and relevant, but most of
them are junkies, half-truths, fake news, chain letters and plain
sweet nothings.
If we truly desire to connect effectively and engage properly
with others, we need to know what their unique needs, interests,
likes or dislikes are. If our hobby is golf, it doesn't mean that
others will like golf too, sharing our same interests and needs!
We must be genuine and authentic, providing good value as we draft,
create, write and send news to others. We will only forward
information if they are really good and have blessed our hearts.
Never send demeaning, humiliating, debasing, shameful, false,
racist, violent, illicit, shameful, profane, obscene, gruesome and
vulgar information and comments on social media. Never promote
ourselves overly and excessively. Only share inspirational stories
and important lessons learned. Only share interesting and
motivational articles that will encourage, entertain or educate
others! Only share contents that are valuable and helpful.
When sending personal photos, always consider whether others will be
benefited by them. If those photos serve no purpose or tell no good
story, don't post them. Where to eat, where to go, food, travelogue,
favorite quotes, encouragements, lessons learned from daily life,
celebrations such as birthdays, anniversaries, weddings and other
milestones etc. are good. But these do not give us the license to
broadcast everything in our daily life to everybody all the time. Just live our life
fully and
share only with those who are truly interested and vital.
Some family moments are best shared with family members only. We
must stop thinking about what those postings have done for us and
start thinking about they will do for others. If we have something,
it does not mean that we have to brag about them by showing off or
announcing to others.
John 13:34
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another;
as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
Only send positive information and postings. Anything that is
divisive or destructive should not be posted. Petty and pointless
debates, intolerance, gossips, abusive languages, racial, sexual or
religious discriminations and prejudices should be avoided at all
times!
Never share hurtful and unkind words. Sowing discords, conflicts
and dissensions have no place for true Christians. We must also
never react in a destructive way by expressing anger, resentment or
hatred. We must seek to uphold mutual respect and acknowledgement of
other races, languages or religions different from ours.
Sharper than the sword and more deadly than poison, a nasty and
malicious post can cause more harm to others, leading to
misunderstandings, intimidations, social divisions, tensions, even
fights and wars. Many families and marriages have broken down because of the
ugliness and evils caused by the abusive users of social media.
Never embarrass or harm others by publicly calling debased names,
pointing out faults, insulting words or digging out past mistakes.
Always ask ourselves whether our postings will lift others up or pull
them down.
When we post anything online, those records are rarely erased.
Most of them remain in the app system forever. Even if we try to
delete them, some people might already have downloaded those
information and stored them somewhere. They may return someday to
haunt us somewhere in time.
Negative speech is seldom forgotten. If we tell a child something bad
about him or her, he or she will remember us for life! Never
embarrass, demean and debase anyone in social media! Keep all of our
postings genuine and good!
We are created in the image of God. Our life has value, importance,
and meaning because of the Spirit of the Lord dwelling inside us!
Our true identity is who we are in Christ! But when we seek
elsewhere to gain recognition and acceptance, we will be shocked to
find that when everything is stripped away, we will be left with
nothing!
In order for us to connect properly with others, we must first be
properly connected with God! Unless we have some godly values and
goodness in us, how can we share anything godly and good with others?
We should never covet what belongs to others. As others often flash
out their seemingly perfect lifestyles, blessed relationships, beautiful
homes, fine dining and wonderful vacations, we should never become
envious or uneasy! We should not compare our lives with others as
they also have their moments of pain, despair and disappointment
which they may choose not to share in social media.
We should not envy. We should stop comparing and competing with
others. Just
give thanks to the Lord with a grateful heart!
As a good rule to have others in mind, it is best to have more in
life
than we show, and speak less than we know. We should fight the
temptations to show off, announce and publish everything in our life!
In social media, we will get to know who our true friends are. True
friends choose to be connected to each other through the good times
and also the bad. True friends will walk the extra mile and do
things for each other. True friends have good relationships as they
have wonderful times of fellowshipping, conversing and feasting
together. Thus we must seek to be true friends to others! Doing unto
others what we want them to do unto us. Going out of our way to lend
a helping hand to others in times of their troubles and needs.
We must seek to be personal and near to our friends! Focusing on
their needs and interests, feeling their pains, rejoicing with them
in their times of joys and celebrations, and helping each other to
grow in the Lord!
Life is not a competition against others to prove that we are better
than others! All that really matters is whether we still have some
true friends to have some coffee and cakes.
Matthew 4:4
But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not
live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth
of God.’ ”
Many of us are addicted to social media. In fact, social media is
more addictive than cigarettes and alcohol. We are continually
tapping on our phones to receive doses of dopamine.
Obsessed with the fear of missing out (FOMO), we have found it
very difficult to break free from social media. We need to regain perspective in life
and re-engage with our real world.
We shall not live by social media alone. We need to feed on the
Word of God! Many of us are now having a spiritual famine. Not a
famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of
the Lord.
Amos 8:11
“Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord GOD,
“That I will send a famine on the land,
Not a famine of bread,
Nor a thirst for water,
But of hearing the words of the LORD.
We need to spend time reading and studying the Word of God. Most
of us have strained and stressed our eyes by looking constantly at
the screens of our mobile phones! But we have no time to read our
Bibles!
Matthew 6:22-23
22 “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye
is good, your whole body will be full of light.
23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of
darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is
darkness, how great is that darkness!
We must be careful of what we are feeding ourselves and others! Just as we
are careful about what we are putting into our mouths, we must also
be careful about what we are feeding our eyes as all the postings
keep coming in.
Are we guarding our eyes properly and diligently? Are our eyes good
or bad? Are we feeding the eyes of others correctly as we send them
our postings?
Proverbs 25:17
Seldom set foot in your neighbor’s house,
Lest he become weary of you and hate you.
We should not visit our neighbors too often, or else we may wear
out our welcome! Continually texting, updating and broadcasting to
others can wear people out very easily.
Some people send messages
and greetings repeatedly to get attention without any considerations
of time and thoughts for their recipients. Some early morning
greetings before 7 am must be avoided unless deemed important and necessary.
Never post during the midnight hours unless an immediate
response is needed or there is a major fire, disaster, earthquake or tsunami in the
vicinity! We need to exercise self-control and discretion.
It is also good to give others a break by not posting to them
during weekends unless really necessary. Let us have a good break
from social media during those days to enjoy precious moments with
family members and loved ones. Go to church, praise and
worship God and hear the Word of God! Have good meals and
conversations together! Take a stroll in the garden and have a
closer walk with Jesus! Enjoy and appreciate the wonder and beauty
of God's creation all around us!
Inherently, social media is neither good nor bad. It all
comes down to the users! How we use it! We can use it to build good
relationships or we can misuse it to break down great
relationships!
Let us apply the Golden Rule in social media. Always
treating others as we would wish to be treated.
Written on: 12 June 2018