Scottish Catholic Observer

Lent is over and we have celebrated the joy of the Risen Christ on Easter Sunday. It is time to fulfil our Lenten promises, from returning our SCIAF Wee Boxes to writing a cheque to other worthy causes. Those who gave up something for Lent now have the choice to enjoy it once again—be that as a binge on chocolate Easter eggs or a return to social media. The hope is, of course, that we will have learned to enjoy our little indulgences in moderation after the Lenten period of abstinence, for none of them are truly bad for us if we are aware of how and why we use them.

Take social media. Pope Francis said earlier this year that ‘new possibilities’ offered by social media must be accompanied by daily growth ‘in our awareness of the vital importance of encountering others,’ in order to ‘employ technology wisely, rather than letting ourselves be dominated by it.’

Indeed, there needs to be a more Christian approach to cyberspace.

In truth, many a young person will return to social media after Lent with some reluctance. For some school pupils in Scotland it will become a welcome brief, distraction from studying for upcoming exams, but others will feel apprehension as various online forums once again facilitate a 24-7 culture of petty bullying. Long after the school playground has emptied for the day, teenage angst continues to be fuelled by our society’s online obsession with image—can anyone say ‘selfie’—and the pressures of befriending, un-friending, following and blocking online.

Catholic Faith and values can help us all rise above the superficial.

As Pope Francis said: “The Christian community is called to help them in teaching children how to live in a media environment in a way consonant with the dignity of the human person and service of the common good.”

Social media ‘banter,’ however, can bring out the adolescent in all of us. Even with the most ready wit, it can be difficult to establish tone and purpose in the written word with a 140-character limit. And even those who should know better fall into the trap of false anonymity, forgetting their manners, common courtesy—and even who there are—when adopting an online persona. This can lead to cowardly acts and poor treatment of others that would never happen face-to-face. As with the other indulgences we may have given up for Lent, there is nothing wrong with social media in itself. What we must monitor is whether we truly use it to Evangelise or abuse it to judge and punish. Only then can we see if it is good.