How do you feel when you stand before a crowd with all eyes on you?  Do your palms get cold and clammy?  Do you become nervous and anxious?  Do you blush, tremble, shake, or get nauseous?  Multiple sources indicate that 90 percent of all people deal with some level of stage fright (Vijai P. Sharma).  So chances are pretty good that you deal with some degree of stage fright.  However, this article is not about overcoming stage fright.  Even though 90% of people deal with this issue, there is at least one stage where the vast majority of people feel no fright at all – Social Media.

Not long ago, Facebook has reached 2.6 billion active users, YouTube reached 2 billion, and Instagram with 1 billion (Sprouts Social). This means there is potentially a massive number of people able to watch you and see exactly what you say and do. Are you feeling a little bit of that stage fright coming back?

Most people are very careful in front of a crowd but may not so much on social media. Something we would never say before a crowd, we boldly proclaim at the keyboard.

God has always called His people to be different from everyone else (1 Corinthians 6:9-11; 2 Timothy 2:21; etc).  The question is, are we still different on social media?  Here are several categories to consider:

What Do We Say and Post? Are we ugly and argumentative? Do people see more of our political identity than our Christian identity? Are there any words on our accounts that reflect a less than Christian behavior? Could someone look at our profiles and see bad language, gossip, slander, or other forms of crude and crass speech (2 Corinthians 12:20; James 3)?

What People and Activities Do We “Like” (Support)?  Do we “Like” celebrities, athletes, artists or other people with trashy reputations?  Do we support movies, music, TV shows, video games, or other things that are not Christ-like (Romans 12:2)? Do we “like” things that are clearly sinful?

What Pictures Are On Our Profiles?  Do any pictures show us engaging in sin or other less than godly behaviors (Romans 13:13-14)?  Do any pictures show us hanging with people or in places a Christians should not be (1 Corinthians 15:33)?  Do any pictures of us or anyone else on our profiles display immodesty or promote lust (1 Timothy 2:9-10; Romans 13:13; Matthew 5:28)?

In Matthew 5:14-16, God has called us to be a light in the darkness. There is nothing further and more contrasting to darkness than light. Do we dabble in darkness on social media? What kind of conclusions will people make about us? Will they even know we are Christians?

We must always be careful to be Christ-like in all parts of our lives. Whether it is out in public or online, may we always live by Colossians 3:17, “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus…”

Brett Petrillo