An article in USA Today takes an interesting angle on the highly publicized issues of privacy on Facebook and in other social media, drawing parallels with the changing nature of religious communities in our culture. It's written by a Presbyterian pastor who talks about how our churches are becoming more extroverted, perhaps as a result of the emphasis on "sharing" and "openness" encouraged by social media.
And...I am quoted extensively in the article. :)
Is Social Media Changing Religion? USA Today 6/20/2010
The social atmosphere in our small church was changed forever one evening when about 20 of us joined one skype chat room!
ReplyDeleteOf course it didn't make for very meaningful discussion, but it led to the realization that we could check in with each other throughout the week.
It makes a difference in the closeness of the Body when you've posted prayer requests and participated in online discussions during the week. It works well for giving equal opportunities to introverts and extroverts.
On the flip-side, I have to watch myself to make sure I continue to face my (real-life) social fears and develop communication skills, even while using the Internet as a supplement.
I wrote about the pros and cons on my blog recently: http://lizinstpete.blogspot.com/2010/06/introvert-and-world-wide-web.html