I was just sitting in our living room drafting up an insta-story speech in my head, trying to organize what I thought I wanted to say so I didn't screw it up and blather for 15 minutes, and came to the conclusion that I should just sit on down and write a blog post if I've got so many thoughts and opinions that I can't keep them straight long enough to make an instagram story.
So. General Conference. Two of my favorite weekends in the entire year. And not solely because I get to bask in the low expectations of staying at my house and in my pajamas the entire day. (Definitely haven't put a bra on since like, yesterday.) But I do also enjoy the up-kick in mood and inner well-being that inherently accompanies an uplifting experience such as this.
Though all that is neither here nor there, I come to this post to...fine, I suppose to "rant" about the comments made against social media. I *ahem* missed it but I guess at some point the Prophet recommended a fast from social medias. Having just partaken in my own lengthy hiatus from all things Facebook/Instagram, I hardly disagree with this admonition at face value. I do however, take some issue with the villifying of social media on such an all encompassing level.
Done right, social media is how I find myself serving and ministering to my fellow humans the most. When I came back from my hiatus, I found my relationship quite healed with my social media accounts. I've been much more comfortable just sending my thoughts as I get them either scrolling through my feed or watching through everyone's stories, and I'm not going to deny that those moments are applicable as acts of service just to protect my integrity and humility.
Because I know how nice it feels to receive well-meant, kind, genuine responses. As a society we have moved beyond the point where we can all sit out on our front porches while the kids run amuck in the streets and chat with our neighbors because we live in Mayberry, we're struggling to soldier on and lead normal lives despite the fact that our schools, movie theaters, concert venues, banks, random offices, malls, shops, gas stations, you-name-it are teeming with Mass Shootings every other minute. (Not an actual statistic, don't fact check me, you know what I mean they shouldn't be happening at all LET ALONE AT THE RATE THEY CURRENTLY ARE.)
My venn diagram of people that I have regular access to, in order to minister effectively, is literally a circle and we're all young moms of miniature sized velociraptors. Getting together in person is, firstly, an ACTUAL MIRACLE if all our schedules coincide, and secondly, a clusterfluff of tiny dictators who barely speak our language and take everything out of our mouths as a personal attack on their very happiness. You don't willingly hop into an orangutan exhibit and expect to maintain any peace and be able to hold any conversation, no, you get poop flung on you, you and probably some of the monkeys cry, and everyone loses a shoe and your favorite shirt gets ruined and someone is always climbing much higher than is conceivably safe and on the precipice of falling and dying. Being kind to each other IS avoiding each other. Not to mention, I certainly don't want people randomly showing up to my house, barging through the door and offering to do my dishes, or fold my laundry, or clean my floors, and I would never expect that of others. And even if I got over being embarrassed, I still wouldn't want help because it's just like letting your husband or your kids help out. They do it wrong and you have to go back and fix it later, it's just more work...
MY POINT BEING--I personally feel like it can be just as helpful when we share honestly online, let people see the slumps as well as the peaks, and get validation and commiseration and funny quips from our peers. That's where I think a vast majority of our generation get our sense of community.
"Get off your phones and be nice to each other." Ok, well, yes. If you're feeling like social media has a toxic effect on your mental/emotional/physical well-being, as I did a few months ago, then by all means, SHUT IT DOWN. But we can be nice to each other on our phones, too.
Obviously all of this comes with a disclaimer. *All comments subject to personal preferences* I don't mean to speak for an entire generation of people, that's bonkers. Not everybody will feel the way I do. And of course I appreciate the anti-bullying message. Now I'm wishing I'd just done the instastory, this isn't a cohesive blog post either.
I do not categorically disagree with the apostles. I simply wish they would encourage the good parts of social media rather than suggest to boycott it completely for a short period of time.