More Tables for the Cool Kids: The Power of Social Networks tagged: , , , ,

More Tables for the Cool Kids: The Power of Social Networks

Posted by in IMPACT Features, News & Culture

If you were like me, you can remember the moment that you entered the school cafeteria for the first time, scanning the options of where to sit. Spread out across the room were the different cadres of people, each marking their territory around a table, offering a seat to those who were already—or had the potential to be—like them. Never wanting to be the first to lunch and have to claim a table alone, I joined my friends and we marched in together. We were not the cool kids, we were the preppy, slightly nerdy, slightly athletic, mutts. Even with me, the group GPA was well over 3.5, several of us had lettered in non-cool-kid sports like soccer and swimming, a couple of us were in choir or band, and we were mostly of the same race. But somehow, we carved out a common affinity and became fast friends.

If you weren’t on the Prom Court, maybe you look at the rise of social networking like I do- more people having the chance to gather together, get to know one another, share common interests, and develop friendships outside the bounds of geography. In essence, the lunch table for people like me has gotten bigger. Through social networking, I am able to add to my network of affinity (or in the words of Rastis, find network members that already existed without my knowledge).  Either way, that’s powerful.

To state the obvious, social networks are great at what they do well, and terrible at things they aren’t designed for. Rather than look at all the things they are not, let’s look at what they can do:

1. Social networks unite people and ideas. The power for the disenfranchised individual lies in that there is probably someone like you who is looking for you. Together, you will look for a third person. And so on. While there is always room on the internet for one more collection of people and a place of safety for someone who thought they were alone, the flipside can be dangerous. While geography used to protect society from one wacko connecting with another wacko in a different state, now they can freely communicate. The power of unification exists for both the good and the bad. See a great visual representation of this here.

2. Social networks create action. Malcolm Gladwell’s article claims that “Facebook activism succeeds not by motivating people to make a real sacrifice but by motivating them to do the things that people do when they are not motivated enough to make a real sacrifice.” While I concede that it is easier to support activism from afar by retweeting the riot updates in Libya, awareness of issues and support from people are what drives catalysts to act. There is power in knowledge, and knowledge comes from connection. Why else are Twitter and Facebook being blocked in countries with uprisings, and why would China shut down LinkedIn?

3. Social networks start real relationships. I know what some of you are thinking: “How can you have a real relationship in 140 characters?” The problem is you view the interaction in bursts. People who develop relationships in these venues see it as an ongoing conversation and journey, measured in 140 character-sentences separated by breaths. Maybe it develops into something more personal, maybe it doesn’t. But leaders must learn to work in these open environments for a simple reason: that’s where the people are. And those of you who long for the days of five page letters sent through the mail: wouldn’t you rather know the second that your sweetheart lands at the airport, and wouldn’t you like to get a picture of your grandson taken mere moments after his birth?

4. Social networks promote communication. Critics of social media sometimes point to the disconnectedness that—they claim—really exists in the hearts of all these people with more Facebook friends than they could handle in “real life.”  Certainly, there are some that hide in their digital world and shun human contact even though they secretly long for human touch. But this idea is probably more frequently the mischaracterization of active social networkers by those that still have trouble setting up an email account or refuse to add texting to their cell phone plan.

5. Social networks provide a venue for engagement. I’m not a proponent of “tweeting the gospel” but I am in favor of knowing the people with whom you share Christ. I’m a fan of contextualization. I’m a big supporter of living out a relationship with Christ before talking about it. And what better way to know what people are doing and how people are living than to engage them where they are? Read their tweets. Friend them on Facebook. Look at their pictures on Tumblr. Read their blog. Subscribe to their YouTube channel. Digg their articles. Recommend them on LinkedIn. And if you’re thinking that all of those venues are not portraying the “real” them, challenge them on it. At the very least, it will show you are interested in who they are.

“Webs of common kinship (the larger family), common friendship (friends and neighbors), and common associates (work associates and people with common interests or recreational pursuits) are the means by which most people become Christians” (Arn & Arn, 1998, p. 58). Almost 20 years ago, experts from the church growth movement understood the power of friendships and networks. Don’t get distracted by how to start new networks: win your existing one for Christ and watch the worldwide transformation unfold.

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