Social Media Check list
Have a look at the checklist below and have a think about what you may have done and could be likely to do in the future. This can be private or if you want to discuss with someone, perhaps ask them to hold you to account and challenge you if you slip up.
Remember this list isn't there to make you feel condemned but to highlight easy mistakes we can all make and give wise guidelines going forward.
If we can be social media and chain message wise, when we do share something true, others around us will be more likely to trust, appreciate and be encouraged by it, and we are less likely to misinform, misguide others and misrepresent ourselves.
1.
Shared/liked/commented on a post/photo/quote/Bible verse without checking out the Facebook page it is from.
2.
Liked a video without knowing anything about the preacher or church
3.
Liked or commented on a headline without reading the article.
4.
Shared something that says 'if you care you will share'. Does this mean if you don't share, you don't care? Check the account who is sending this post.
5.
Liked a post that claims 'no one will like this' or 'how many likes can they get'. Does the person in the image know they are being shared for this purpose? Check the account that is sharing it.
6.
Liked or shared an image that has been edited, perhaps with text added. Does the person in the image know that it has been edited and shared in this way? Is this fair to that person?
7.
Shared a post from a business without checking the business page is official (look for the blue tick by their name)
8.
Forwarded a prayer request without knowing whether it is true or not (eg '100 Christians about to be killed in Middle-East, pray now!', and it turns out to be fake or 8 years old)
9.
Read something a Christian friend has shared and trusted them so believed what they have shared without looking into it yourself.
10.
Considered how sharing something that may turn out to be fake news, or from a source you wouldn't normally want to promote etc, could affect your integrity.
11.
Remember not all Christian Facebook pages get it right, think carefully about what you like/share from them, and check what they believe before showing to all your online friends that you endorse them.
This checklist covers just one small aspect of being a wise user of social media.
We haven't covered everything at all but our hope is that as a church we try to be wise, thinking carefully about sources before we like/follow/comment on/share.