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Christianity Today, February (Web-only), 2009 |

SoulWork

An Entertaining Saboteur

Facebook promises to connect us to one another. Is that what you are doing right now?

Mark Galli | posted 2/05/2009 01:36PM

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That's because, as we are slowly learning in this techie age, electronic communication is a poor substitute for audible conversation and physical presence with another. There's a reason God created us with bodies, and why bodily presence is necessary to create and sustain truly meaningful human relationships.

Instead, for most of us most of the time, Facebook is relational entertainment. And like all forms of entertainment, it is a gift of the Creator of joy. It can temporarily distract us from our routines and problems, and offer brief spurts of happiness. It seems more human than television, but in the end, it's an extension of television. It's interactive reality television. We read about the daily plotlines of other characters, and add our own plot twists and witty dialogue, and then talk to others about what we read and said around the office coffee machine.

The most significant Facebook connection for me, then, happens outside of Facebook. It happens with those people made of human flesh and blood, who speak audibly to me, and whose body language is such an integral part of their communication. These are real friends with whom I work and live, with whom I trade banter about da Bears and the latest episode of 24, and to whom I exclaim, "Guess who friended me on Facebook!" — greasing the wheels of a relationship I yearn will go deeper.

Mark Galli is senior managing editor of Christianity Today. This column is cross-posted on his blog, where he promises to interact electronically with his social network of readers.

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Agnieszka Tennant wrote about Facebook frustrations in an October 2007 column.

Previous SoulWork columns are available on our site.

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Todd Thompson - Lubbock, TX

Posted: February 11, 2009 12:53 PM

It's true that while fb connects people, there is an inherent loneliness to it all. No small amount of "on the outside looking in". A fact that is more difficult to deal with if one is (like me) living far away from all their established friends in a place they never expected or wanted to live. Still, "saboteur" is too strong a word for it, I think. That implies that fb has intent to subvert genuine relationships. In this, I think the author's article title is too strong. fb is just one of many connectivity tools in the world we live in. No, I can't do the "in person" friendship thing with the 240+ people in my friend block. But if being able to tell someone I haven't seen in 20 years and may not see in the next 20 that I still think of, care for and pray for them helps move God's kingdom a tiny bit forward, then it's a good thing.

Josh	Posted: February 10, 2009 3:58 PM

It's all a question of what you use Facebook for. While it is fun ("relational entertainment" puts it well) to find old friends on FB, its real value for me is maintaining a daily connection with those in my church community. We are a young church (mostly 25-35 year olds) and most of us are on FB and love hearing the tidbits. And as the pastor, i can use it to stir interest in Sunday's sermon or send some personal encouragement.

Kevin

Posted: February 08, 2009 11:06 PM

Mostly disagree here. Sorry. They are many assumptions made in the article that the author makes from himself that presupposes we all agree with. Facebook is a first step. As with any "real" relationship, we choose the depth and authenticity. I have reconnected with many people I had lost touch with. Again, making the choice of how much I want to connect. So I suggest we have absolute control over electronic relationships as we do real face to face kind. It is another medium that we need to figure out the rules and expectations about.

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