[T]ake note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen,
slow to speak and slow to become angry (James 1:19).
Twitter, Facebook, blogging, e-mail, texting, and IMing all provide super-fast ways to communicate. I’m trying to figure them all out. Slowly.
Their advantages are many. I’ve discovered that they can allow us to follow responses to a live event in pretty much real time, keep us connected, and point us to great resources. They encourage spontaneity, while training us to be brief and relevant. I’ve seen many positive uses so far.
But I’ve also seen how they can also tempt us to be slow to listen, quick to speak and quick to become angry—the exact opposite of what we read in James.
People tap out angry or insulting tweets or Facebook updates without thinking through the tone or consequences before publishing. Rants are rampant and snarky responses abound.
The strength of these forms of communication is their immediacy. But immediacy doesn’t build in adequate time for the slow reflection that enhances meaningful communication. In fact, the immediacy of Twitter or Facebook doesn’t even build in time for basic editing; so often I’ve been aggravated with myself for misspellings or even missing words in my tweets.
So as I explore and enjoy these communication tools, I have to remind myself to go slow; to tap on the mental brakes long enough to think through my words and ideas—and consider how they might be received.
How can I slow it all down?
- I’ve prayed that the Lord would warn me when I need to edit myself or delete something inappropriate. More than once I’ve sensed a small warning—kind of an internal niggle or red flag—that caused me to hesitate before clicking “send,” “update” or “publish.” In those instances, I rewrote or deleted that particular post.
- Something as simple as setting a timer for a minimum of one-minute after composing a thought (before publishing or going live) builds in some cushion to think it through. One minute feels like an eternity in Twitter-time, but isn’t that long in actuality.
- Set a limit for the number of Facebook or Twitter updates per day or the number of minutes spent on those sites.
- Schedule certain times of day to be on certain sites instead of popping in and out throughout the day—the quick checks get me in a quick mood for quick words that may not be fully thought through.
- Spend time in devotions, prayer, Bible reading, Bible study, etc., before starting to Twitter, blog, etc. Spending time with the Lord resets my mind and sets a healthier tone for all interactions, online or off.
I want to listen carefully, monitor my emotions, and slow down my “speaking,” whether in person, on the phone, or typed out via these high-tech platforms. For the person steeped in social networking, the verse from James might read something like this:
Everyone should be quick to read, slow to tweet, and slow to rant and rave.
photo credit: Janusz Hylinski, via stock.xchng
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8 comments
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July 5, 2009 at 4:17 am
The Speed of Social Networking «
[...] July 4, 2009 in Slow Movement, blog, blogging, change, self-discovery, simplicity, slowing I posted about the speed of social networking over at NotSoFastBook.com. [...]
July 5, 2009 at 8:30 am
Marci@overcomingbusy
I fought facebook tooth and nail and now I enjoy it, but I do see how it can go really bad. There are a few facebook friends who have posted updates I’m sure where out of total gut reaction to something playing out in their lives that they hadn’t processed yet. I believe they have regretted it.
I have not ventured in to twitterland yet for that very reason. Do I really need to know what someone is thinking at every moment of the day and do they need to know my thoughts? I can see things getting taken out of context…. Just does not sound appealing to me….
July 5, 2009 at 1:59 pm
annkroeker
Hi, Marci! I love learning about your real-life resistance and analysis of the social networking options you mentioned. You sound like you have found a healthy use for Facebook that focuses on its benefits and strengths.
People seem to be using Twitter in a lot of different ways. The most uninteresting is what you described, when people share what they are “thinking at every moment of the day.” Sometimes people offer really interesting links, however, and two times I have learned of a big news item through someone posting it on Twitter. When the plane landed on the Hudson, for example, I heard it first on Twitter and saw some amazing photos people were snapping right then and there. And then it turned out that the husband of someone I know through Facebook was on that plane, so I was able to follow a really intimate account as she offered updates of his text messages and phone calls. That was one of the most fascinating–and powerful–experiences I had with those two particular websites.
July 6, 2009 at 8:20 pm
deb
i know many people struggling with the balancing act of all of this.
Also , has anyone felt a sense of ” disenchantment”?
I would assume blog posts, ezine articles, etc., are thought out, often keeping the reader’s perspective in mind, with careful attention to what is being exposed or shared.
Silly , off the cuff, gut reactions or gushing me too’s are totally expected , but as you mentioned, often times when a bite of the tongue would have served better.
I have yet to enter these waters,still watching, learning, listening.
July 12, 2009 at 4:56 am
Stephanie
For me, I have a no negative tweet policy … I use it as a place
to record little happies a few times a day, when and if I get time.
July 13, 2009 at 1:26 am
Pattie
Great post, Ann
July 13, 2009 at 9:14 pm
Jane Anne
I read this post when you linked to it on Twitter. It came at a perfect time – well almost perfect, I guess – as I had just made a joke on a FB wall that wasn’t well received. I keep rereading the post. I like both the reminders to go slow and limit yourself. Thank you for your words.
August 23, 2009 at 3:24 am
Not So Fast in the Wall Street Journal «
[...] long ago, I wondered if we should become “Slow to Tweet,” to avoid some of the ranting and raving that slips out when we write too fast, without editing, [...]