When I was considering a topic for this reading unit I was thinking of something creative, with a psychological or artistic slant. One of my tasks is to assess a range of websites using a checklist and when I heard someone talk about ‘What makes us Tick? The ten desires that drive us’ by Hugh Mackay, I asked to borrow it as a good basis to make my checklist. The ten desires are:
1. The desire to be taken seriously
2. The desire for ‘my place’
3. The desire for something to believe in
4. The desire to connect
5. The desire to be useful
6. The desire to belong
7. The desire for more
8. The desire for control
9. The desire for something to happen
10. The desire for love
Starting to read ‘The Church of Facebook’ I realise that all the books I have read so far have had quite a strong psychological slant and this one in particular. Rice begins with Martin Seligman’s positive psychology and what comes out on top of their research is that connection is the key to happiness, authentic connection. (p.28)
In chapter 2 he looks at environmental psychology and “makes four homelike qualities that Facebook uniquely facilitates.”(p.76)
1. Home is where we keep all the stuff that matters to us.(p. 76)
2. Home is wherever we find family. (p. 78)
3. Home is where we feel safe because we can control the environment. (p. 80)
4. Home is where we can just be ourselves.(p. 82)
He looks at Malcolm Gladwell’s concept of “channel capacity” – which he used to determine that human’s can have a genuinely social relationship with a maximum of about 150 people. The wider our social circle’s, the more socially and intellectually burdensome they become (p. 107)
I haven’t finished the book yet but the final chapter ‘Regeneration’ talks about ethical use of Facebook using examples of Jesus’ behaviour. The final hints are:
1. Practice regular check-ins. (checking feelings, mindfulness)
2. Make the intention to not go online immediately before bed and immediately after waking up. (time for God.)
3. Practice mindful Facebooking. (A bit like 1, check how much time you spend on it, check how it is affecting you)
4. Practice authentic Facebooking (Does the content reflect your God-given nature?)
5. Adopt one or two Facebook friends for one month. (Pray for them, encourage them, invite them to catch up with you in person)
Last paragraph:
With intentionally, humility, and authenticity, we can exchange fear-smudged lenses for twenty twenty vision. We can make intentional movements toward satisfying our longing for ‘home’ by turning our attention toward the quality of both our in-person and online relationships rather that just the quantity. We can humbly recognize the value of every single person in our friends list and treat each person with the respect and dignity he or she deserves. We can authentically express the uniqueness of who we are in ways that are true to our God-reflecting nature and that set the stage for relationships without pretense. In short, we can learn to utilize the brilliant but simple tools in front of us to creatively and joyfully take something good and make it even better.
And with that, all the Church of Facebook said, Amen
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