tech talk redesign
If we are all being honest, we are overwhelmed with information. We are overwhelmed in our inboxes, newsfeeds, and timelines. There is more content there than we even come close to having time to read, and (frankly) most of it isn't worth our time. That doesn't mean it's all "bad." But it does mean that very little of it ranks with the important things in our individual lives that deserve priority, and it does mean that much of it is not making us more whole human beings. Given the environment of social media overload, I think Catholic communities need to consider how we are contributing to it.

I say this as a blogger and aspiring book author who utilizes social media to share my writing. Writers and speakers like myself feel a lot of pressure (from publishers, ourselves, others) to promote our writing, and by extension ourselves, through social media. It's the publicist of the 21st century. While it is necessary for us to use it, I'm concerned with the typical use I see. I fear that a significant amount of the content I read, often by highly-followed Catholics and Christians, is contributing to the excess social media "noise." I call it noise because, while the more substantive writing and speaking of these individuals is highly edifying, the social media content often presents a different persona.

As a Communication scholar and media critic, I'm trained to ask not only how do we use media, but more importantly, how does that use change us? Truthfully, the "social media persona" is predisposed to make us less human, due simply to the fact that its ultimate and primary goal is self-promotion. So what happens when other values of the user conflict with this goal? How often do other goals/values (edification, humility, respect, civility, dialogue) lose out to the snarky post we know has a good chance of getting "liked" or re-posted? Too often, from what I've seen.

I don't think this happens because we mean for to, but we are not honest with ourselves about the tremendous force (dare I say addiction) of maintaining the social media persona. Because of this, we don't set standards or boundaries for ourselves. We uncritically post content (sometimes stream of conscious) and unrestrictedly check back for responses. What we need to come to grips with is the fact that our pride and vanity are always at risk of being stroked by social media's innate end of self-promotion. We can't just float along with the current of cultural social media use and think that it won't impact who we are; the undertow will pull us down and ultimately compromise our message and our humanity.

[tweet "6 self-checks for your #socialmedia use: #techtalk by @JessicaPtomey"]

So we have to impose boundaries and standards for our social media use as safeguards -- to keep us from becoming less human, less attune to the religious sense in our lives. This might mean simply asking yourself some critical questions before you hit "post." I compiled a short list of social media self-checks, based on some common pitfalls and missteps I have observed:

Self-Check #1

How many times have I posted today? This hour? How many of those posts have been about me?

Self-Check #2

Is what I'm about to post going to edify anyone who reads it? Might it injure anyone? Might it simply add to the noise? Am I posting something snarky to appear clever or witty, at the expense of losing an opportunity for dialogue?

Self-Check #3

Is my post about the litany of "good" things in my