Social Media and Spirituality
Why would I be combining Social Media and Spirituality’ in the one heading?
Well, anyone who has known me for any length of time will probably understand, and for anyone who hasn’t then I have included Wikipedia’s definitions below.
From my perspective, and it simply from my perspective I walk ‘my own spiritual path’. There is no single, widely-agreed definition of spirituality, and although I would describe myself as ‘spiritual rather than religious’ I also have an inquiring and in many ways ‘scientific mind’.
The advent of the ‘internet’ has allowed not only myself access to a wide range of knowledge and information and in the instances such as Social Media a way of accessing and sharing of knowledge including: the simple, the profound, the humorous, the irreverent, the crude, and the overlapping areas of truth and lies.
In many instances the ‘picture or the words on a social media posted ’meme’ may have little to do with the actual subject covered in the accompanying post, and may simply be a way of ‘garnering attention’ without any real substance being shared.
Many ‘news articles’ use inflammatory headlines to attract attention and there are many ‘Trolls, please see the Wikipedia explanation below who deliberately ‘stir up dissension’ and this is generally described as ‘disrupting normal on-topic discussion,[3] often for their own amusement.’
In Internet slang, a troll (/ˈtroʊl/, /ˈtrɒl/) is a person who sows discord on the Internet by starting arguments or upsetting people, by posting inflammatory,[1] extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community (such as a newsgroup, forum, chat room, or blog) with the deliberate intent of provoking readers into an emotional response[2] or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion,[3] often for their own amusement.
So, would I describe myself as a ‘Troll’? Actually No!
I am and have been many things in my life: a researcher, an author, a poet, a metaphysical teacher, a gatherer of facts and information, a kinesiologist, a psychic medium, a radio host, a searcher for knowledge and understanding and most importantly ‘my own person’.
I have been called or told over the years that I am: a witch, an atheist, weird, into mumbo jumbo, a conspiracy theorist, off the planet, and spooky as well as ‘amazing, wonderful, caring, intelligent, wise and a blessing’.
So, I guess it depends on the point of view of the individual who is attempting to describe me.
Recently I ‘shared’ a well put together movie clip on my FB page that I had found ‘scientifically interesting, it wasn’t on a subject in which I had any profound interest, however the ‘person’ who had created the ‘movie’ had a renowned name in a scientific community and I was interested in their explanation on the subject that they were exploring. My comment on sharing the ‘movie clip’ was ‘Interesting’.
So where did I share it? On My PERSONAL Social Media FaceBook page.
Please note, I DID NOT share it to my YouTube, Twitter, Pinterest, Blurb etc accounts, NOR did I post it to any of the associated Social Media accounts with which I am connected either through Sounds from Source or associated groups and pages. Just on my own personal page.
Then came the backlash:
Fortunately I have broad shoulders, as the odd friend ‘objected’ to what I had ‘shared’, however the majority of the ‘abuse’ or criticism came from ‘friends of a friend’. Not from people I know, or honestly would even want to know.
So why am I sharing this information with you?
Social Media is a wonderful tool, it is one I use every day and it is a big part of my connecting with people around the world. It allows me to interact with in many instances ‘people with whom I would not normally come into contact’
However and YES there is a however, Social Media also allows some people the mistaken belief that ‘they own you’, that they can dictate their own thoughts feelings and emotions into what YOU do, think, believe and may wish to say or share.
Honestly. You would not invite ‘these people’ into your home or most likely not more than once, and yet they feel that they have permission to ‘drop by uninvited’ and express their own point of view.
I did not bother to respond to the comments on ‘my post’, I did however ‘post’ the statement below
‘I have a Facebook page! How about that! Its is actually ‘mine’.
On that page I post or share things that I find interesting, informative, tongue in cheek at times, and even irreverent.
And, because that / this Facebook page ‘is mine’ I believe that I am ‘entitled to do so. Maybe I am wrong?
Perhaps in having a Facebook page ‘I’ have a responsibility to all and any of the ‘friends of friends’ who my just happen to see something ‘I’ have posted.?
I think not!
So, seriously, ‘If’ I post something on ‘MY’ Facebook page that you do not like, that doesnt resonate for you, or that you find offensive, then please do one of two things
Keep scrolling, raising your eyebrows if you wish, or delete me as a friend’.
It seems that being involved with Social Media encourages some people to believe that they have the right to impose or force their own beliefs upon you, and that their ‘persuasive power of influence’ will have a mental or moral effect on your character and one presumes will ‘bow to or be swayed by such opinion’.
Personally I see this as a form of ‘Bullying’ and I for one top not take kindly to attempts to ‘bully’ me to accept some one else’s way of thinking.
Bullying? The following words from the dictionary all seem to fit quite well, and I am sure that the ‘friends of friends’ who commented on my post would object to those as well!
Arrogant, Overbearing, Browbeat, Coerce, Terrorize, Tyrannize
Social media are computer-mediated tools that allow people to create, share, or exchange information, career interests,[1] ideas, and pictures/videos in virtual communities and networks. Social media is defined as “a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange of user-generated content.”[2]Furthermore, social media depends on mobile and web-based technologies to create highly interactive platforms through which individuals and communities share, co-create, discuss, and modify user-generated content. They introduce substantial and pervasive changes to communication between businesses, organizations, communities, and individuals.[3] These changes are the focus of the emerging field of technoself studies. Social media differ from traditional or industrial media in many ways, including quality,[4] reach, frequency, usability, immediacy, and permanence. Social media operates in a dialogic transmission system (many sources to many receivers).[5] This is in contrast to traditional media that operates under a monologic transmission model (one source to many receivers).
“Social media has been broadly defined to refer to ‘the many relatively inexpensive and widely accessible electronic tools that enable anyone to publish and access information, collaborate on a common effort, or build relationships.’”[6]
There are many effects that stem from Internet usage. According to Nielsen, Internet users continue to spend more time with social media sites than any other type of site. At the same time, the total time spent on social media in the U.S. across PC and mobile devices increased by 99 percent to 121 billion minutes in July 2012 compared to 66 billion minutes in July 2011.[7] For content contributors, the benefits of participating in social media have gone beyond simply social sharing to building reputation and bringing in career opportunities and monetary income, as discussed in Tang, Gu, and Whinston (2012).[8]
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media
There is no single, widely-agreed definition of spirituality.[5][6][note 2] Surveys of the definition of the term, as used in scholarly research, show a broad range of definitions, with very limited similitude.[7]
According to Waaijman, the traditional meaning of spirituality is a process of re-formation which “aims to recover the original shape of man, the image of God. To accomplish this, the re-formation is oriented at a mold, which represents the original shape: in Judaism the Torah, in Christianity there is Christ, for Buddhism, Buddha, and in Islam,Muhammad.”[note 3]
In modern times the emphasis is on subjective experience.[9] It may denote almost any kind of meaningful activity[1][note 4] or blissful experience.[3] It still denotes a process of transformation, but in a context separate from organized religious institutions, termed “spiritual but not religious“.[10] Houtman and Aupers suggest that modern spirituality is a blend of humanistic psychology, mystical and esoteric traditions and eastern religions.[11]
Waaijman points out that “spirituality” is only one term of a range of words which denote the praxis of spirituality.[4] Some other terms are “Hasidism, contemplation, kabbala, asceticism, mysticism, perfection, devotion and piety”.[4]
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirituality
Working with Athletes through the www.thebestworkoutforyou.com program and its assoicated Membership program The Athletes Sports Bag I went on to create a ‘Social Media’ vibrational sound program to assist in deflecting the ‘slings and arrows’ that often accompany the posting of achievements on social media.
