Flood the Earth
Social Media. This term conjures up thoughts of each person's favorite site. Images of filters and Instagram ready pictures, memes, tweets, and the latest recipe to pin come to mind. Friends and followers scroll looking at the latest posts. Posts that directly reflect the person posting.
So what happens when you put a pause on your social media habits and think? Think about if you're spreading joy, hope, positive thoughts, and messages that brighten people's day. Too often we turn to social media to complain, promote ourselves, or rant on the latest controversy. The websites we turn to most when bored are littered with negativity and hate. Elder David A. Bednar took to talking to addressing this issue. In his address he caused viewers to ask themselves about their social media usage. And as I read, his words shifted my thoughts to how I use social media. My thoughts turned to the latest puppy video and F.R.I.E.N.D.S. blooper video I laughed at and shared. What kind of message am I sending to those who view my social media? And is it the message I want to send?
In his address Elder Bednar spoke of the relevance of social media and just how large it has grown. Twitter has 250 million average users, Facebook 1.2 monthly. These numbers are from 2014 and this large volume of activity on social media websites has surely increased in the subsequent years. What does this matter, and why would a general authority care about website traffic? When analyzing Elder Bednar's purpose in talking about social media is becomes readily apparent. Think of all the gospel messages that could be shared if each person used their personal social media account for gospel messages. However, not everyone is a member, and not everyone wants to share religious views or controversial opinions. So I would like to think even if abstaining from sharing church centered material it would be beneficial to the world as a whole if each of those users spent their time to share positive messages. Imagine the difference each of these hopeful and uplifting messages. So he's convinced me, it is time to "flood the earth."
So what happens when you put a pause on your social media habits and think? Think about if you're spreading joy, hope, positive thoughts, and messages that brighten people's day. Too often we turn to social media to complain, promote ourselves, or rant on the latest controversy. The websites we turn to most when bored are littered with negativity and hate. Elder David A. Bednar took to talking to addressing this issue. In his address he caused viewers to ask themselves about their social media usage. And as I read, his words shifted my thoughts to how I use social media. My thoughts turned to the latest puppy video and F.R.I.E.N.D.S. blooper video I laughed at and shared. What kind of message am I sending to those who view my social media? And is it the message I want to send?
In his address Elder Bednar spoke of the relevance of social media and just how large it has grown. Twitter has 250 million average users, Facebook 1.2 monthly. These numbers are from 2014 and this large volume of activity on social media websites has surely increased in the subsequent years. What does this matter, and why would a general authority care about website traffic? When analyzing Elder Bednar's purpose in talking about social media is becomes readily apparent. Think of all the gospel messages that could be shared if each person used their personal social media account for gospel messages. However, not everyone is a member, and not everyone wants to share religious views or controversial opinions. So I would like to think even if abstaining from sharing church centered material it would be beneficial to the world as a whole if each of those users spent their time to share positive messages. Imagine the difference each of these hopeful and uplifting messages. So he's convinced me, it is time to "flood the earth."
I love how you mentioned that positive messages don't always have to be religious! Posting pictures of cute puppies or positive news stories can also put a smile on people's faces. I think a good thing to think about before posting is will this post leave people better off after they see it?
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