Social Media Saves Lives...and Souls?
When we can manage to look past the many downers and dangers of social media, it's inspiring to find the many more blessings hidden beneath it all. One such blessing is that social media can help save lives. Here's one way (among many other examples of natural disasters and Arab Springs, etc.) Facebook is helping to do so:
A new Facebook program provides military personnel, veterans and their families with customized resources when their content is flagged as harmful or suicidal.
It is an extension of a suicide prevention effort Facebook launched in December, which lets friends alert the social network when other users express suicidal thoughts by clicking a link next to the comment. Facebook sends an email with suicide prevention resources to the author of the comment. [Mashable]
Makes good sense. And it's one of the many possibilities opened up to us by having so many connections to each other and so much power at our fingertips.
And if it can help save lives, surely it can help save souls, too. It's fun to think about the many ways we could be doing this.
Even something as simple as going to Google and searching for people who are in need. Find them. Connect with them. Reach out to them. Help them. Give them a reason for your joy while you're at it.
You could also search Facebook public statuses on a site like this: statusfeed.net.
Or you can search Twitter's traffic, too: Here.
Sure, you'll have to wade through some garbage and some mean spirited people who need big hugs. But mixed in with all of that are a lot of people who have honest questions or misunderstandings about their faith. About the Catholic faith. And people who are grasping for God in funny looking ways. Who are struggling with meaning and purpose in their lives. Who are suffering and need help. People who the Holy Spirit just may prompt you to reach out to in the right way and at the right time in a non-creepy kind of non-stalkerish way.
Anyway, we are only just beginning to explore the power at our fingertips and how it can be used for Good. For God.
