I did the unthinkable over this past week. I left social media behind. I did not check or post anything to Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, or any other social media site that draws people like rancid trash draws flies. It did not bother me one bit. I had was on vacation from work and I wanted to make the most of it, so I took a vacation from social media too. I even left my email behind other than finishing up a project for Sisters Place. Even without me sharing every part of my life online, the world did not end and my social influence did not change.

People still continued to eat mediocre meals, sharing photos of the food they’d enjoyed. Ice water continued to be dumped on heads for a cause, and others still complained that dumping ice water on your head doesn’t help anything. Babies were born, couples were married, people passed away. The world continued on without me and I did not feel left out. I don’t think even one of my Facebook friends or Twitter followers noticed that I was gone, and that is okay with me. I guess I am not as influential as the social influence score on Klout would lead me to believe. I unplugged for seven straight days and the world did not end.

As I began to ease back into social media, I started to question the motives behind my involvement. When I joined Facebook, it was about connecting with friends and playing games that didn’t spam your entire friends. I had no idea what Twitter was for when I joined it, but a new friend convinced me that it was the right thing to do. Since then I have used both for varying reasons from sharing photos to finding news, but it has mostly been about self promotion. That does not seem so bad since social influence is what social media seems to be about for everyone these days, but it is not something I am particularly proud of.

Any influence I have in real life or online, as small as it may be, should not be used to merely gain more influence. I am not here to just share websites and products that I find intriguing. I am here to point people towards Jesus and the salvation that they can find through Him alone. Social media in my opinion is not the most ideal avenue for that mission, but that doesn’t mean it should be void of my experiences in my faith and filled only with what I think will raise my social influence. At the same time, I enjoy the attention that funny videos and thought provoking posts can often bring.

As I scroll through endless status updates and tweets, I have noticed a trend towards narcissism, product evangelism, and complaints about narcissists and materialism. I am done with all of that. I just want to share my heart, my family, and the things I come across that I find interesting. No more ‘like” hunting or writing about controversy just to get more traffic to my blog. No more checking my social influence score and looking for the best 140 characters that might get a few retweets. I just want to be myself, and hopefully turn a few eyes towards Jesus in the process.