The One Communication Skill that Would Transform Social Media
By its very nature, social media is a quick-response forum. We see something and we react to it. From plays in a sporting event to natural disasters to political decisions, everything is burning for a response, and those responses are immediate.
That is a good thing in many ways, but it also cries out for one change that I pray we will all consider making, and it is something that we were taught as children. In fact, if we would all implement this one thing online, social media would be immediately transformed into a kinder and more well-informed place.
What is it?
Don’t speak until you have all the facts.
We see something online, and we feel as if we just have to react to it. Too often, we do not stop to really consider what we are typing as a response, though. We are quick to defend ourselves, or to speak out against some perceived injustice, or just make some comment, and we fail to think about all possible angles of what we are reacting to.
Of course, we should think about as many of the facts of the story or statement we are reacting to. Do we think about the claims themselves in a logical way? Do we compare them with other sources of information? Do we really compare what is said to Scripture, or just to our preconceived ideas of what we think Scripture says?
But even beyond that, do we remember that a person typed those words? Do we try to think about their feelings? Do we try to think about the worldview from which the other person wrote what they shared?
Those things take time, but would it not make for a much better experience if we tried to actually take that time, instead of just blasting off a response to everything we read online? It would cut down on typing something, then having to backtrack or reverse course when facts are presented. It would remove so many statements that are nothing more than biting sarcasm, and that have no thought behind them. It would lead to people being respectful in what they say, instead of just spouting off a thoughtless message, because we remember that we are communicating with people.
I know at times I struggle with this, as well. If you were to go through my social media feeds, I’m sure you would find times where I have not been perfect at this. But I’m trying. Yes, in part, I’m trying because I’ve been on the receiving end of some very thoughtless and heartless social media messages. But far more than that, I’m trying for the simple reason that it is the right thing to do.
Will you join me in these efforts?
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AUTHOR: Adam Faughn
