What kind of person are you online? Would someone who never met you in person want to be your friend if all she knew of you was what you posted on Facebook?
That’s kind of a scary thought. Because while no one is ever his or her truest, most genuine self on social media, some are downright…unmannerly. Thoughtless. Crass.
Pick any synonym you want for vulgar, insensitive, or rude.
In a day when manners are no longer intuitive, let’s focus on setting a few social media guidelines for Christian teens—none of which are complicated. But depending on which of the social media types you fall under, they might be difficult to follow. At first.
Hi, I’m Lauren Thell, author of Christian YA fiction and blogger for teens who are ready to exceed the world’s expectations!
In This Article
4 Social Media Types That Grab Everyone’s Attention
While plenty of people hang out on social media, there are a few personas whose specific goal is to grab everyone’s attention.
The Glazer
You know her. She’s beautiful in every picture she posts, and her life is as sugary and sweet as a glazed donut. Nothing ever goes wrong for her—or so it would appear on her Facebook page.
And just like when you eat too many glazed donuts, you feel like throwing up when you look at too many of her posts.
The Streaker
A streaker by definition is “a person who runs naked in a public place, especially in order to shock or amuse others.”
Do you know any streakers on social media? These are the ones who post things that make you blush and say, “Gee, thanks. I did not need to know that.” They like to air the dirty laundry in their lives for everyone to see. Personal matters, issues of sexuality, family secrets, dirt on others—these are some of the Streaker’s favorite topics.
The Streaker is also known as the Over-Sharer.
The Autobiographer
How do you feel when someone dominates the conversation?
I get a kick out of Autobiographers. They’re the ones who are ALWAYS on social media sharing EVERY SINGLE LITTLE DETAIL of their lives. You know when they went out to eat and exactly what they ate and who they were with and what shade of nailpolish they were wearing because there’s a post about it, accompanied by a lovely picture of an eight-inch-high cheeseburger with thick cut fries.
Okay, so there’s nothing morally wrong with this, but how do you feel when someone dominates the conversation? It gets kind of old, doesn’t it?
The Stink Bomb
When you throw a stink bomb into a group of people, everyone will be negatively affected. That’s what a Stink Bomb does on social media.
This person has an opinion on everything, and he’s quick to belittle anyone who does not agree with him. Stink Bombs aren’t relegated only to politics, though politics do tend to bring out a greater number of this type. In general, Stink Bombs are the bullies, the one who leave negative comments on other people’s posts or share tweets made to make others feel inferior.
I’ll bet you can think of at least one person in your friends list who is a Stink Bomb on social media—and she might even be someone you like a lot in real life!
Welcome to the Party
A former teacher of mine once said we should look at social media as a giant block party. You might be in the company of a few really close friends, but the rest of the attendees are neighbors—mere acquaintances at best. There might be discussions about religion, or politics, or current affairs, but a block party isn’t the place to share the most intimate details of your current romantic relationship or to trash talk your boss. You certainly don’t want to dominate every conversation. There are general rules of etiquette when it comes to group conversation.
Can I have a little etiquette, please?
You don’t have to have all the answers.
but, hey, why not?
Bring me your questions about faith, life, God, the Bible… and I’ll help you find the answers.
Online Etiquette: 8 Super Simple Social Media Guidelines for Christian Teens
All joking aside, let me share with you a few guidelines for posting on social media—principles all Christian teens can and should adopt.
- If you wouldn’t say it to their face, don’t say it on social media.
- If it’s a rude comment and you would say it to their face, you have other issues to contend with. See my post Control Your Speech With These Five Important Rules.
- If you haven’t verified the truth somewhere other than on social media, don’t hit share.
- If it’s not something you would share at a neighborhood block party, it doesn’t belong on social media either.
- If it sounds like a scene out of an R-rated movie, don’t post it.
- Likewise, if it could in any way be considered bullying, don’t post it.
- If it involves profanity, censor it. That’s just being rude.
- And if you are one who chronicles every minute of your life on social media, reduce it to one post daily, then find a new hobby to fill the sudden influx of spare time you will have. (But don’t turn it into another thing to brag about on TikTok!)
Sound like a lot of rules? All of the above could be condensed into this one simple guideline:
Would you post it if Jesus was your “friend” or “follower”? Because he is.
Be the Light the World Sees
For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.
Ephesians 5:8
As Christians, nothing you do is ever entirely for yourself. Help make social media a more pleasant block party and show others the light of Christ by following these guidelines for posting. Staying connected means so much more than just being friends on Facebook. Be a real friend, the kind others want to get to know in real life!
Oh Lauren, you hit the nail(s) on the head with these rules. Thanks for sharing. If more people followed number 2 alone, things would be so much better. LOL. Love you and your articles.
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