Social media has slowly crept into our daily lives over the years, and I do not believe that will ever change.  I remember when sending emails was just for fun or perhaps even a luxury for many people.  Now everyone writes emails on a consistent basis, and it has become our mode of communication.  I confess there are many moments when I wish I could go back to the simple days of letter writing.  When conversing with others was on a more personal level, because you really took that time out of your day to have a genuine interest in the daily life of another individual.  When I was a little girl, I had pen-pals all over the world, and it was so fun getting their letters and envelopes that showcased stamps from Japan, Russia, or Africa.

When Facebook first launched, it was for college students, but it quickly spread across the masses, and now most use this website to connect with family and friends.  Instagram and Twitter came along, which added to the list of social media to keep up with.  As a writer, I post to my blog, but I also tweet updates about my work along with adding information to my Instagram.  And not only do individual people use social media, but businesses, churches, and hospitals use this form of the internet as well.  If I want to research a particular university, I can read limitless facts about their degrees, professors, and programs on their website.  However, this mode of inquiry dismisses my chance to converse with a human being, which is a negative check mark against social media.

How can we make social media better?  It drains so much of our time.  It would be nice if our time on the internet was met with a purpose.  Is there a way to shine our light in cyber world?  For me, I post YouTube Christian music videos all the time to my blog and Twitter.  I also try to include words of encouragement in my pieces that I publish on the Daily Megaphone website.  Even though your words are going viral, you are still representing yourself on the internet.  And more importantly, you are representing Christ–just like you do in the real world.

So next time you pull out your smart phone to check your Instagram account, please remember to post something uplifting for your followers to see.  Remember, you are talking to real people in cyberspace, and your words can either encourage or discourage someone in their daily walk.  In the same way, what you choose to post online can either make or break a person’s day.