Description: It’s easy to depersonalize someone if our major way of knowing that person is via social media. Social media provide a virtual space, and there are benefits of that type of connection, but if we are longing for closeness with others we’ve got to invest time in a shared space–a space where we can cultivate close relationship, learn to take down the masks we wear, and practice vulnerability. Opting for social media all the time can make us reticent about using our voices to converse. This is a major reason to limit the use of social media until children are at least in high school. We need to anchor our conversations in time and space, grounding our “knowing” in presence–human presence. We stay on the surface if we don’t make it a point to actually be together.
The Secret Place is a boutique channel produced with love (not numbers) to inspire and uplift. Each message begins with a short introduction to a new favorite book. This song is In The Secret Place by Stephanie Bennett on the album Toward the Lamb. For more resources on communication, faith, and culture, please visit our sponsor, the Christianity and Communication Studies Network at www.theccsn.com.
* The views of any CCSN columnists are their own, and do not necessarily represent the views of the CCSN. We invite and embrace a wide range of views and critiques on important communication and cultural issues. The CCSN is a community of Jesus followers who study communication. We do not support or promote a particular social, political, or denominational agenda.Â