Don’t Be a Twitter Narcissists!

This was a great few paragraphs on being narcissistic online. I loved it & thought I would share it with you. You can read the whole article over at ChurchMag. 

What Makes Someone a Narcissist?

There is a fine line between being a good twitterer and being a Twitter narcissist. Those who use Twitter well don’t just tweet for the sake of tweeting, they don’t retweet others for the sake of retweeting, and the certainly don’t interact with others by replying to tweets just for the sake of being known. A good twitterer posts necessary, valid, and pertinent information. Good twitterers tweet the high points, or the driving commentary of a presentation; they tweet witty commentary or facts left unsaid that are relevant and helpful in the conversation; they retweet others who have solid posts that should be shared with their own followers; and the reply to people when they actually want to be in dialogue with the user to whom they are replying.

Twitter narcissists tweet because they think they are important. Narcissistic tweets add unhelpful commentary or bogus facts to a conversation, and often consist of one-liners that do nothing but jam up a hashtag thread. Narcissists retweet others when the original tweet wasn’t worth retweeting; they only retweet because it connects their name with someone else. These twitterers reply to people, not because they want to be in dialogue, but because they want others to know they exist. They are nothing short of a spammer who tries to blend in.

 

Behind The Scenes of "The Social Network"

IMDB has given us 93 minutes of “behind the scenes” footage of the movie The Social Network, for free! I loved this movie. Probably my number one movie of 2010. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross did an amazing job on the soundtrack to this movie also. I absolutely love it. Give it a listen on Amazon.

Here's the footage:

• Part One - Commencement

• Part Two - Boston

• Part Three - Los Angeles

• Part Four - The Lot

Kissing Social Media Goodbye!!!

As I learn more reading my Bible and things in my life are stripped away as part of Christ's sanctification process, I have come to the realization that Jesus is calling me to laydown something very close to me. Something I love a lot and am very passionate about, social media.

Here are some reasons why I'm leaving for a while:

1. Need for Spiritual Refreshment

I am looking forward to directing some of the time I would have wasted looking at social media to more prayer, Bible study, and devotional reading.

 

2. Other Important Responsibilities Vying for My Time

• I only have so much time at night with my family and I find that I spend way too much of it looking at the screen of my iPhone instead of engaging my family in meaningful ways.  

• I want to be more intentional about personal & family devotions. A good book that convicted me on praying and personal devotions was "A Praying Life by Paul Miller."

• I want to get more into personal reading and journaling. I have got a great start on this already. I have read some great books in the last six months like, "A Praying Life by Paul Miller," "Can I Know Gods Will? by R. C. Sproul" and "What's So Great About the Doctrines of Grace? by Richard Phillips." I recently bought an Amazon Kindle and have collected of some great books that I am looking forward to diving into.

 

3. Social Media Can Be Addictive.

I do not want to be constantly concerned about my statistics, Facebook comments, and Twitter followers. The best way to avoid the danger of caring too much about all this is by taking a break from it all for awhile.

 

4. Social Media Is Inherently Self-Promoting.

Social media may have good and helpful content, but in my heart it has become an idol and a way to promote myself before others. I have become a self-centered and self-absorbed person whose contributions to the Kingdom will be diminished in the long-term. Having used social media consistently for a long time now, I think it is wise to take a step back and evaluate the spiritual effects (both good and bad) that social media has on me.

Now that being said Social Media in and of it's self is not a sin. God created ALL things as good. He created food to be enjoyed, wine to make glad the heart of man, & sex to be enjoyed within marriage. Sin entered the world and fractured all of this. So now we no longer just enjoy food, we worship it (gluttony), enjoying alcohol can lead to alcohol abuse, sex to lust and on and on the cycle goes. You get the picture. It is not the object, (i.e social media, a good steak, a glass of wine, sex with your spouse) that is the sin but the heart of the sinner that is the issue. John Calvin once said that "The heart is a factory of idols." God has shown me this area of sin in my heart. I have, like Paul says in Romans 1:25 " started "worshiping created things (social media) rather than the Creator."

There are some great people doing some great things with social media. Here are a few of my favorites that God has used to speak into my life. They are not in any order.

Twitter

• @AlbertMohler
• @TimmyBrister
• @PastorTullian
• @ErikRaymond
• @ScottyWardSmith
• @JustinBuzzard
• @JoeThorn
• @JohnPiper
• @EdStetser
• @ReidSmonaghan
• @TrevinWax
• @JaredCWilson
• @MattChandler74
• @theResurgance
• @Acts29
• @PastorMark
• @StevekMcCoy
• @Burk_Parsons
• @PaulTripp

Blogs

• Joe Thorn
• Desiring God
• Acts 29
• Eric Raymond (Ordinary Pastor)
• The Resurgence
• The Gospel Coalition
• Justin Taylor

So, on January 31, 2011 I will be deactivating my Facebook account and leaving Twitter for an unknown amount of time. I do plan on returning, Lord willing to social media once this idol has been delt with. I have always loved the Internet and social media but left unchecked it has become damaging to my soul. I debated saying anything but felt I owed it to you so you didn’t wonder what happen to me. Should you need to get a hold of me you will have to email or call me.

 

5. Places Where You Can Find Me.

• YouVersion. One of my goals this year is to read the Bible in a year. So you friend me on YouVersion join me as an accountability partner and let's read together.
• This blog. I want to get back into blogging again some from time to time you may find a post here.