Is Facebook destroying true intimacy? Is social media creating a false sense of community?

Only if one is not thinking…

When I like or love someone’s post on Facebook (or other social media), I’m not trying to imply a sense of intimacy. It doesn’t mean that I know the person well and love everything about him or that I’ll be expecting to be invited to holiday dinners- or even that I would want to be invited. I’m showing only that I like (or love) what he has expressed here, or I stand with him in this particular thing. When I touch the emoticon representative of a person consumed with laughter- I’m thanking a person for sharing some of the best medicine of my day! When I hit the angry face, it’s because what is portrayed frustrates me. I touch the sad face when I am moved to tears by something shared and the hands clasped in prayer when I know it is the needed answer. When I offer a comment, I say what I mean and I mean what I say. Social media is a tool and like any other tool, it has no power of its own- the power is in the hand of the one who wields the tool. I don’t think I have a false sense of the community being built here, rather I know it is a bridge to community. I like bridges- a bridge can be destroyed if it becomes dangerous but a bridge is usually a wonderful idea.

Copyright 2018. L.L. Shelton.