Why Twitter?
Posted by Danielle Bean in Just me on Tuesday, February 03, 2009 11:30 AM
I’ve gone and done something I thought I never would do. I began Twittering.
I’m not alone over there, either. My fellow Faith & Family Live! bloggers Arwen, Rachel, and Lisa are active Twitterers as well.
I think it’s no small coincidence that the same week I took on Facebooking and Twittering full force I should read Melinda Selmys’ thought-provoking article about the shortcomings of online social networking at NCRegister.com.
Are online interactions cheating us of real human interaction? Are we dumbing down personal relationships and cheapening the meaning of “friendship”?
I appreciate Selmys’ article because I think it’s important to ask ourselves these questions.
What are we doing?
Well, here’s what I think I’m doing: I am engaging the world in which God has seen fit to place me. I am taking advantage of a powerful, exponential form of media—one that is here and growing by the minute whether I like it or not—and using it in a way that I hope promotes the good.
Historically, Catholics have always engaged the culture instead of hiding from it. It’s what Pope Benedict XVI did when he communicated with World Youth Day pilgrims via text messages last year. It’s what the Vatican is doing as it launches its own YouTube channel.
Of course not all communication shared via social media is created equal. Just as with blogging, there is the ever-present danger of becoming overly self-focused (twittering your way through a bad hair day) and wasting time (linking to kittens riding a Roomba), but the exponential potential for good is there as well.
MTV is giving the next generation its best shot 24 hours a day. Planned Parenthood has its own message for mothers and families. We are all aware of the exponential evil of pornography online.
When the Other Side is unafraid of modern means of communication, we simply cannot afford to be.
This video is an eye-opening look at how much (and how quickly!) communication has changed in our world:
What do you think?
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