Tag / social media

displays likes and hearts from social media
by Karen Twinem

Be a Force for Good on Social Media During Lent

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Giving up social media for Lent? While that can be helpful, there’s a more positive goal: Resolve to be a force for good online. After all, the biggest problems on social media are the participants.

Yes, social media is problematic. Studies continue to determine social media’s impact on children and teenagers. Yet the level of usage continues to grow as this 2025 Pew Research Center report shows.

Still, 71% of adults use Facebook alone. That’s because, for adults, social media has benefits, including global connectivity. You interact with people you would not otherwise know. Even more commonly, social media connects you to far-flung family, friends and former co-workers. If you are intentional on social media for Lent, you are a force for good with all these people. How? By offering support, compassion, inspiration and laughter.

Your content and the ways you connect make all the difference. A book on habits, “Your Fully Charged Life” by Meaghan B. Murphy, suggests a strategy I find every interesting. She believes the best approach for positive use of social media is to behave as you do in real life.

That means to connect, just as you do when you talk in person or on the phone. Comment on the posts of your friends and family. Compliment a parent on their kids. Be intentional about what you post. This allows you to bring a laugh or an inspirational thought to others. And to thank those who inspire you.

To do that, you have to remember what Mother said: Be careful who your friends are. You can use mute features to stop getting posts from people who are habitually negative or offensive. The most selective you are about who you follow, the more likely it is that you will find fellowship.

The same goes for businesses, not-for-profits and organization. Keep it as local as you can. Give positive feedback when you can. If you have a podcast that has made your life better, support it on Patreon.

Think it Through

Be good to yourself (and others) by thinking about what you are writing online. This is also a “real-life” behavior. Too many people feel that the relative anonymity gives them license to be obnoxious and cruel. Before I speak, I want to ask myself: Is this true? Is this kind? That is how I act at a conference table. It should be how I act on my phone.

It’s also good to have a purpose for your social media accounts. The purposes for mine are:

  • Facebook and Instagram: I use these platforms to connect with family, friends and former colleagues. I try to respect the privacy of my adult children and grandchild. I also use the platforms to talk about caregiving, helping people with mental illness and practicing Christian mindfulness. Finally, I use it to make people laugh.
  • X, BlueSky and LinkedIn: I use these platforms to promote mental health advocacy, Christian mindfulness and laughter.
  • Goodreads: I use this to record and review the books I read. I also share book info with friends.
  • Pinterest: I do put some material from this blog and from other sources on my “From God’s Lips” board. The other boards contain information, recipes and pictures I want to keep.

Every post must meet these criteria. There’s no room for unsubstantiated or iffy information, political fights, vulgarity or hate speech on my social media. That is, when I do it right.

Try creating your own purposes for social media. It’s what the pros … which I used to be … do.

You also have to think about what time limits you set on your social media use. I personally do not look at social media during the day, only after dinner. This gives me more peace of mind. (Remember: Your grandparents and parents waited for the evening news to find out what was happening in the world. And they did fine. If your neighborhood is on fire, you will hear the sirens.)

Being more intentional about your presence on line can bring more faith, hope and love into your life. If you try it, I’d love to hear your results.

by Karen Twinem

Be Kind With Your Phone

Super Sad True Love Story, published in 2010, was set in the near future … also known as now. Author Gary Shteyngart wrote about Americans who were tied to their devices, rarely looking up and rarely putting them down. It was appalling at the time.

What was science fiction in 2010 is reality today. Research shows that Americans spend an average screen time of 5.4 hours on their mobile phones daily. About half of that is time spent on social media. We have 294.15 million smartphone users in the United States. The U.S. population is 329.5 million. That means almost everyone who isn’t a little kid has a cell phone.

Like every piece of technology, smart phones can be used for good.

Ten ways to use your phone as a force for good

  1. What apps would Jesus have? You can read the Bible, do a meditation, read a devotional and pray a piece of liturgy on your phone. Some recommendations about apps to download are in the resource section here.
  2. Be intentional about what you post on social media. Think it through and decide what you want to accomplish. You can only post things that cause people to smile (or laugh). You can spread thoughts of peace and kindness. You can be intentional about who follows you.
  3. Make rules for yourself about cell phone use. Such as, put the phone on recharge during meals to keep it off the table during a meal. Or, never read email until you’ve done morning prayer.
  4. Designate time to read emails and calm yourself first. Pray before you open your email. Ask for wisdom, discernment and calm. Scheduling time to read them keeps you from constantly scanning your phone for emails. If people need to contact you from work, you can let people know that you read your emails at these specific times. If anything is too urgent to wait until that time, they can text or call you.
  5. Express your appreciation to someone. Write a post giving someone (a friend, colleague or a person you admire but don’t know personally) a compliment. This is especially nice if you are sending it to a person who means a lot to you, but doesn’t have hundreds or thousands of followers.
  6. Write a recommendation about a colleague or vendor on LinkedIn. Taking the time to give positive reviews is very welcome.
  7. If Starbucks has a personnel shortage, don’t offer to pay for the person behind you. Counterintuitive, I know. But paying for the person behind you makes the cashier’s job more difficult. In a time of personnel shortages, that can be tough. Find another ways to pay it forward.
  8. Promote a small business. If you’ve had a good experience with a small business, say so in a nice review. You can also share their posts on your social media.
  9. Like a newsletter or blog, If you’ve been reading someone’s blog for a while and like what they doing, let them know. You also could pick a favorite, never-miss podcast to sponsor on Patreon.
  10. Compliment a parent on their kids. Be specific.

Having the intention of using your phone and your social media in kindness and caring can turn a big time-sucking problem into a blessing for others.