Ultimately, you should treat people on social media the same way you would treat them in person. After all, there are real, live people on the other side of your computer screen.
In the last hundred years or so, we have made great strides in transportation. People can move around the world far and wide. This can be a good thing because it multiplies your opportunities in life. But it can also be a not-so-good thing in the sense that it takes away from community. People used to be born, live, and die all within the same fifty-mile radius. You lived your entire life seeing a lot of the same people day in and day out. It was easier to have a close-knit community where people really cared about each other.
Since moving around is so much more common nowadays, it can be a good thing that social media has grown in the last decade. When used right, social media can promote community.
Whether you like it or hate it, social media seems to be here to stay. In August of 2023, almost five billion people were using social media on 120 different social media sites. It can be fun talking with people who live far away from you. You can also see what the culture is in other countries.
Of course, there is a dark side when people use it to scam, lie, and slander. But that is another subject. I want this article to be about promoting peace on social media.
Social media can provide a way to catch up with friends and family. It can reconnect you with people you knew a long time ago. It can help you know how to pray for people. It can even help you to start new friendships where you eventually meet in person. Ultimately, you should treat people on social media the same way you would treat them in person. After all, there are real, live people on the other side of your computer screen.
Here are my ten social media rules to encourage peace.
Social Media Rules to Encourage Peace
1. Try to post more positive things than negative. It’s okay to say when you’re having a hard day; in fact, that is when you might gain some much-needed encouragement. Do post some negative to keep things real, but don’t complain every time you post something. As much as possible, fix your thoughts on what is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, and admirable (Philippians 4:8), and post accordingly.
2. When someone posts good news, congratulate them. When someone posts bad news, weep with them. Seeing them as neighbors who could be sitting right next to you will help you squash feelings of jealousy or envy. Weeping with them will give you something to pray about. Pray for people when they post about sickness or pain. Comment to let them know that you are praying for them. Little bits of hope can bring a lot of comfort.
3. Remember the golden rule every time you are scrolling social media. Love your neighbor as yourself. Care for them in whatever way is appropriate, whether in person or virtually. Someone can still be your neighbor even if they live many miles away from you. It’s a small world, after all.
4. Pause before you post comments on other people’s angry posts. Does your comment have the possibility of easing the person’s anger? Or will it fuel even more angst? Adding anger to anger won’t help anyone. Take a moment to pray about your answer. Let your conversations on social media be gracious, even when you disagree. Sometimes, it’s better to not post any reply than to post one that worsens the situation. Volatile comments won’t usually change their mind anyway.
5. Fight the urge to compare your life with another person’s life. When you feel envious, remember that you aren’t seeing the entire life of that person. They are probably posting a highlight of their life and leaving out the low moments. You typically only see highlights on social media. But in your own life, you see every aspect, the bad as well as the good. Comparison usually has you comparing their mountain-top moments to your dark, lonely ones.
6. Social media can often feel like one-way conversations, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Do everything you can to promote back-and-forth conversations. Listen to what someone says and then comment back in a helpful way, not in an argumentative way. Ask them questions, and soon, you might end up with some meaningful conversations on your page or in your direct messages.
7. Think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works (Hebrews 10:24). Post things that might make people think. Post things that promote kindness and compassion. Post things that make people smile.
8. Encourage people as often as you can, both in person and virtually. This world can be very discouraging, and anything that helps people know that they are not alone is helpful.
9. Seek to meet with people in person as much as possible. There’s nothing like face-to-face conversations where you really understand each other. In person, you are more likely to see each and every facet of their personality. On social media, you often only see one facet at a time. Don’t neglect meeting together (in person) whenever you can, so you can share vibrant conversations that include eye contact, gestures, smiles, and laughter.
10. Finally, don’t scroll aimlessly for too long. Your life is short, and you don’t want to waste too much of it scrolling, scrolling, scrolling. Go outside, soak in some Vitamin D, feel gentle breezes, and walk outside in nature as much as possible.
Bless Others in Real Life and on Social Media
We don’t want a world where the only contact we have is through a computer. But social media is a good substitution when live, in-person conversations aren’t possible. It can add to your relationships, but it shouldn’t replace them.
Whether on social media or in real life, bless people even when they say something you don’t agree with. Say what might be helpful, but most of all, pray for God to help them see things differently.
Live in harmony with other people as much as you can. Enjoy other people, and don’t think that you know everything. Do things in such a way that everyone will see you are honorable (Romans 12:14-18).
Help lead people to live for more—more than this world alone—for this life is short compared to eternity. Encourage people with the comfort that God has given you.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Tonktiti
