"The power of social media is that
it forces necessary change."
- Eric Qualman
Last night I was out to dinner with a Sister friend of mine. When the bill came, I pulled out the usual, "I've got dinner, you get the tip?" Admittedly, I almost never have cash on me. Sister laughed when I said this and I went on further to say: I'm part of that plastic generation. One of my worst fears was that I would get on the turnpike without cash in my pocket and get stuck. So, I upgraded to an EZ-Pass. Just today, I was cleaning out the backseat of my car (finally) and found two dollars. While I was surprised at finding the two dollar bills, I was more shocked at the fact that there was paper money floating around. Life is easy with plastic. But, I guess that comes with my generational obsession with technology.
When I started my new job, I was told that this school was a technology school. They asked if I would have any problem transitioning. When it came to computers, I was always pretty savvy in figuring things out. I could handle almost any computer problem from software to hardware. But they problem was that I was used to PCs. My school is almost entirely Apple. Which, to be honest, I think is pretty cool. Of course, on my first day of work, I was sitting in my desk googling how to turn on a desktop Mac. Within seconds, I was watching a YouTube video showing me where the on button was. Instantaneous.
The two weeks before school started I was thinking of every which way I could weave technology into the classroom and into Campus Ministry. When I was student teaching, we always created mock Tweets to characters in our stories and Instagram accounts. Sometimes, we even made Facebook accounts. I found tons of websites that allowed for creative and safe ways to do these activities. However, with each student having an iPad, I could easily have them create professional accounts on social media. It's a two-fold lesson - the subject material AND technological integrity. We've been able to go completely paperless in my classes and it's been a great adaptation to our growing technological world. Not to mention, it's also good for our forests.
Using technology in the classroom has been so easy for me and my students. But I needed to figure out how to reach the rest of my students in my Campus Ministry office in a new way. So I created a Twitter account for the students to follow and get updates from. We haven't gotten all the way to Instagram level yet, but we are working on it. Some of my students say it really helps them stay in the know about events happening through the office.
Okay great, so I'm adapting all these social media efforts to my students. But, as shocking as this may be, I have another life outside of school. Some of my students know about my blog, but eh that means they have to go ahead and find it, read it and by the time they get to the website, six twitter notifications popped up and they've forgotten. There are plenty of people who read my blog who don't have Twitter, but I know there are plenty of people who read my blog that DO have twitter. Yesterday, as I watching my views go up and up and up, I thought: I need to reach more people.
From the very first blogpost back in October 2011, I've been posting the link to my personal Facebook account. It reaches a good percentage of my "friends" and every so often, I'll get a comment from someone I wouldn't expect to be interested. But even my students have said, Twitter is the place to be on Social Media these days. Facebook is for old people (fyi...they mean me). So while I was thinking about being part of the plastic generation yesterday, I thought about how a lot of people in my generation and the generation before me are facebookers. But there's a younger generation out there that needs to here my faith messages. I decided to create a Twitter account.
A lot of people say that if Jesus were here now, He wouldn't be on Social Media. But if we look around, He's already there. Friends, the Pope is on Twitter. I believe that Jesus would be wherever the young people are. And folks, the young people are on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram. Jesus would be on His a game about it. He wouldn't be obsessed with it as many people are today, but He'd be present there, too. I figure this, if people like myself are going to get anywhere with young people, we need to be where they are. I can't preach at church, because they aren't there. Take it to the streets. In our technology obsessed world, we need to start using technology for the betterment of society. It's too much to ask teenagers and middle-schoolers to look up a website. I need to put it right in the palm of their hands, straight to their smart phones. I need to be blowing up their Twitter feed with positive messages.
It's almost as if today, if one doesn't have a Twitter, one doesn't exist. "Oh who are you? Are you Facebook? Do I follow you on Twitter?" Maybe some would argue that I've fallen deeper into the social media vortex, but I'd like to say that I've given myself a chance to reach more people with Jesus' word. Young women aren't going to come knocking on the doors of the convent like they used to do; they're going to google Religious Communities, try to find them on Facebook, and if they have a Twitter, woah watch out! Young people don't read mail anymore, and even emails are usually ignored. It has to go right to their hands, a quick buzz from Twitter. This is the next generation, the generation full of vocations hiding inside hearts not sure how to get in touch.
So today, I officially launch my Twitter account: @lesstraveled92 (roadlesstraveled was already taken...). If you have Twitter, follow me. If you don't have a Twitter, don't feel left out; you can find the twitter feed on the right side of my blog. Just scroll down. If you're a young person looking for more information on Sisters and Religious Life, try following various different Twitter accounts (there are some pretty cool ones out there!!). As for all you vocation directors out there, try Twitter out. See what you can do with a simple # and 140 characters!
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