Social media and .BIBLE Domain Names = A Powerful Combination
British Scientist and writer, Baroness Susan Greenfield, wrote that social media can bring about social decay. She warns that social media could create a pleasure‐seeking generation that have short attention span, self-centered and addicted to instant satisfaction. In a passage of her fiction novel 2121, she describes our present as a time when life has no meaning. And everyone is mindlessly seeking sensation.
Could this be true? How can Christian churches protect their flock?
First, let’s clarify that social media is not limited to Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Your blog and other sites where you interact with other people are forms of social media also.
So, is social media a harbinger of evil?
It is true that social media has a power to destroy, but it is not an enemy. In 2012, Manila Archbishop Cardinal Chito Tagle referred to social media as a sign of the times that gives Christians hope and opportunities. According to him, it is “both an instrument of evangelization as well as a field to be evangelized.” Furthermore, he practices what he preaches, unlike Greenfield who has never been on Facebook, Cardinal Tagle is among the religious leaders who use social media effectively. He uses both YouTube and Facebook to connect with people around the world. Filipinos worldwide tune into his program to hear his homily when they cannot go to church–or don’t have access to a place of worship.
Indeed, there is much good in social media.
Social media is a great leveler. It is accessible to almost everyone. Even in parts of Africa, with its images of poverty and deprivation, more than 8 in 10 people have cell phones with access to to social networks like Facebook. What’s more, it’s not just exclusive to the rich. A fish seller in the market has the same access to Facebook with his simple feature phone as the bank executive with his smartphone.
Social media is breaking the great divide by providing the poor with access to information that was once just available to those with money to spare. As we know, information can mean power. People in possession of knowledge and information have power to make changes and fight abuse. And today, many church ministries use social media to help educate people, not only about the good news of Jesus Christ, but justice and fairness.
Social media amplifies your message. On average, one person has around 150 connections (including families, friends, colleagues and acquaintances). So, each person who connects or follows you or reads your blog is equal to 150 people. If you multiply that to the 3rd degree, church ministries with 200 social media followers are taking their message to nearly 4.5 million people. That’s 4.5 million people you reach out to in true Christian friendship. That’s 4.5 million people you could reach with the life-changing message of the Bible.
Social Media and .BIBLE
In the next year, there will be another tool available to Christian ministries, .BIBLE. This is a brand new Internet namespace which will be a safe and trusted online source for all things Bible that is operated by people who love the Bible. It will offer domain names such as study.bible and search.bible, allowing Internet users and Christians alike to easily find exactly what they need. When users go to a .BIBLE web address, they will find trustworthy content positively portraying the Bible. When it arrives, it will open doors to more opportunities for the Christian ministry. It has the potential to be a catalyst for new social media communities. It has a capacity to create a social network focused on the Word of God.
Most of all, it will affirm the presence of the Christian message in cyberspace.
Yes, social media is powerful, but its power depends on the people who wield it. So, it’s power is in your hands, more than ever, with the launch of .BIBLE.
As Christians, use it in the spirit of St. Francis. Make it an instrument of peace. Use it to sow love instead of hatred, pardon instead of injury, faith instead of doubt. Use it to offer hope amid despair, light amid darkness, joy amid sadness.