How Christians Should Be Sharing on Social Media
A couple of weeks ago I wrote a blog post explaining that 26% of people deleting the Facebook app. DailyPS received quite the response from it. (Thanks!) Because of this, I wanted to go a bit deeper into the topic by discussing what we are sharing on social media and how it affects the world around us.As many of you may know, I am a technical marketer that specializes in providing coaching services. This is a fancy way of saying I know how the internet works, how to use it, and where it's going in the future. I teach others how to use everything related to the internet. (I share this not to gloat about my resume, but to gain credibility on the topic at hand.)The purpose of this post is to enlighten Christians on 2021 marketing trends. Christians need to gain a greater understanding of how large organizations are using social media to grow. I know this is a different topic than you'd typically read on DailyPS. But, God has called us to be the head, not the tail. We all need to get up-to-speed on the topic of social media and marketing. Let me jump right into explaining the meaning of my title for this post. 'How Christians Should Be Sharing on Social Media.'
Many of us do not understand how marketing, the internet, or social media work in 2021.
Marketing has changed a lot in the past three years. In today's world, more people are using the internet than ever before; it is more interactive than it has ever been. For large organizations, the internet is 100% a numbers game now. Many of the largest companies have social media strategies to create mass change and manipulation on levels most people do not understand.Social media is no longer about approval or disapproval, or positivity or negativity. It is all about numbers. In other words, I am saying that it doesn't matter if you like or dislike something, as long as you're talking about it, you're supporting it, and large companies are winning.Here's a perfect example of this. Remember when Donald Trump became president? It was a shock to many of us. I couldn't sleep for days after he became president. One of the main reasons (there were a lot of them) that he won was because everyone was talking about him. The democratic party mentioned President Trump more than Hilary Clinton. Whatever you talk about, you promote. Donald Trump won because we talked about him more.
I can explain how marketing works in 2021 with one sentence: All press is good press.
This likely isn't the first time you've heard those words. All press is good press is just a cliché expression, right? Wrong.Let's use a recent example, Nike. Many of us feel very strongly that Nike's latest marketing campaign was wrong. I agree, what they did severely lacked integrity. Supporting Nike is wrong at this point. But, Nike doesn't care about that.Many of us shared how upset we were, and how we were going to burn or trash all of our Nike gear. Poor Nike got beat up by all of us. They lost billions of dollars from all of the bad press. They got what they deserved!
But, that's not what really happened to Nike.
Nike banked on the emotional response and the quick drop of their stocks with a bounce-back/full recovery. Guess what happened? Nike's stocks are now higher than they've ever been. A new record high for the company, even with so many people angry at them. (See the chart below for the dip, then the quick recovery.)
Nike doesn't need you and never wanted you. But, you gave them the gift of press. If you shared anything about disagreeing with Nike's actions, then you supported their growth. You're part of the reason that Nike's stocks have increased to an all-time high.If you want to learn more on this topic and get into more of the technical side of how it works, my friends at Search Engine Journal wrote on this topic which explains it very well.Christians are part of what is called the silent majority. I'm all for us breaking the silence at times, but we have to be strategic, just as the rest of the world is. We all fell right into Nike's trap by posting our feelings about their latest campaign.
The proper way for Christians to share on social media in 2021
If not a single Christian shared anything about Nike during their new campaign, Nike would not have recovered from their decline in the stock market. Nike banked on good people breaking their silence in disagreement to help them grow. Instead, we should have been sharing something positive, not about Nike, but about something else we love. Even posting about another brand of active-wear that we like would have been fine.If Christians had done this instead of sharing our disagreement, Nike would not have recovered from their stocks dropping, and they would have issued a public apology. (Which they already had written and ready to release if their plan did not work.)Christians, we need to stop hating on what we don't like and start sharing what we love. Jesus called each of us to live our lives this way. We need to spread God's light to the world, not express our disapproval for everything that upsets us.
Examples of how Christians should share on social media in 2021:
- Do you dislike abortion? Stop talking about it. Start talking about why you value the lives of babies.
- Do you dislike mass shootings? Stop talking about it. Start talking about how community and friendships have helped you.
- Do you dislike people who are anti-America? Stop talking about it. Start talking about how America has helped the world.
- Do you dislike hateful political agendas? Stop talking about it. Talk about campaigns that are really making a difference.
As I mentioned early on in this post, this is different than what I normally share on DailyPS. But, it is important for Christians to hear and understand. If we change the way we share on social media, the world will become a better place. It's up to us to drive change.
What Should Christians Share on Social Media?
I believe the answer is found in Philippians 4:8. In this passage of scripture, Paul is telling the Philippians how to live a life for Jesus.
"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about [share] such things."
I, like you, have limited influence, but each of us has a unique influence. I encourage you to share the points I've made within this post with the people you have influence with. Remember, everything you share on social media, you support. Let's all start sharing the right things, as found in Philippians 4:8. Together, let's change the world!