Last night I was near a couple of teenagers who were discussing some current high school drama. I heard one of them say, "She told me it was none of my business!" To which another girl responded, "If it's on Facebook, it is everyone's business." Amen to that.
I have thought this countless times, thank God that Facebook didn't exist when I was in high school. Holy cow, there is no telling what kind of stupid stuff I would've put out there. That is not to say I don't put stupid out there every now and then, but wowza, I can only imagine what kind of rants I would've shared with everyone.
I love Facebook. I'm not addicted to it or obsessed with it. I do have the opportunity throughout the day to peruse it, but I don't have to scour it over hourly to get through my day. Living in such a small town, I find it a valuable tool for disseminating information to others in our community, and even to others who have moved on. It can be used for good just as easily as it can be for the bad. It's great for community announcements, shout-out's to someone deserving props, prayer requests, funnies (as long as they're appropriate for all ages), etc. I have been able to re-establish contact with friends from church camp or high school, and I love seeing pictures of people and their children.
I have tried very hard over the years to think about what I post and whether it could be hurtful to another, about whether the information should be "public," and what my intentions are for the post. There have even been times when I've been mad about something and wrote a vicious status and decided to erase it. Unfortunately, there has been a time or two when I made a comment or a post that I did intend for someone to see and hopefully take offense to. Shame on me.
As my daughter is approaching that super-dramatic age (right now we're just in the semi-dramatic age...as just a few years ago we graduated from the pre-dramatic age) I think often about how she will goof up a time or
Sometimes as I read a teenager's post, I just laugh and think, oh my gosh, I am soooo glad this wasn't available when I was younger because this is really stupid or silly or totally inappropriate. And oh, the bad stuff I probably would've said about my parents and teachers out of spite back then, I don't even want to think about. And what about all the love-life drama I could have posted about, yikes...again, I am so thankful.
These days you have to be careful about the information you put out there. As a young (or old) person seeking a job, it is very possible and very likely your potential employer will check and see if you have a Facebook account and just what kinds of things are posted on it. I suppose that a college or someone looking over scholarship essays and applications could use it too.
I know that Facebook, for me, is sorta like my accountability partner. I am Facebook friends with a lot of church family, youth from our youth group, church camp kids, my own family members, friends, coworkers, my kids' teachers and even some of my daughter's friends. It is no secret that I am a Christian, so I have to remember that my comments, posts, likes, shares, etc, are tasteful and appropriate for all of my 'friends' listed above. It's kind of like WWJD, but my version is WWST - Who Will See This?...not that I'm all about image and what others think of me, but when I write something on FB, I cannot be worried about who will be reading it...because as my young friend above said, "If it is on Facebook, it is everyone's business," so I better not be ashamed or embarrassed of it (in case my preacher asks me about it;).
As I said, I think Facebook is and can be a valuable tool, and I think it can also be misused. Sometimes we all just need to take a few moments and think about what we type before we type it...just like we're supposed to think before we speak. I have to constantly remind myself of this...
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