Heaven won’t be Online

All this talk about people quitting Facebook has got me thinking.

According to reports, only 0.006% of Facebook users pledged themselves to quitting Facebook on the 31st May, and no one is sure how many actually did.

A lot of people have had a lot to say about the privacy controls on Facebook, and whilst that may be one of the reasons people wanted to quit, I’m convinced it goes a bit deeper.

I read an interesting article in a magazine the other day about the loneliness of young people. According to the article, despite the abundant opportunities for connection, young people are lonelier than ever before. It observed that young people have a deep desire for connection that goes beyond digital, and that in a world where personal, ‘face to face’ connections were becoming less frequent, people were craving meaningful ‘face to face’ relationships to counter their loneliness.

So here’s the question. Does social networking create greater loneliness, despite all its promise of connecting people? Could it be that the abundance of social networking platforms actually conspire to keep people away form face to face relationships that could be the only real antidote to loneliness?

Don’t get me wrong. I dig Facebook, and Twitter and Youtube etc. etc. I really believe that social networking platforms have great potential to connect people more widely and at different levels. On the other hand, I think people have a great yearning for real ‘friends’, people who can give you a face to face status update! Where these platforms enhance our ability to feel connected, that’s great. Where they detract, surely we need to start asking questions.

Thinking ahead, it strikes me that in heaven, we will see Jesus face to face, and we will be face to face with each other. I can’t say with any certainty, but I strongly doubt we will have email, Facebook and Twitter in heaven. We will live as we were made to live, face to face with God and with each other.

So, does your interest, involvement, obsession or addiction with social networking leave you feeling more fulfilled and better at the face to face stuff? If not, I would suggest taking a social networking ‘sabbatical’ so you can clear your head. Many people have been surprised that after giving Facebook a skip for a couple of months, all they have really missed out on were a few Farmville invites and friends photo pics.

After all, heaven will not be online.