How Is Media Affecting Your Family?

No, I’m not going to harp on the stuff that’s on TV.

I could.

But I won’t.

It’s the time that’s spent in front of these different modes of media, like Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, blogs, etc. that concerns me.

I’ve just started looking on Pinterest and I have to say it’s pretty incredible! I can get so many ideas on various subjects from other pinters (I made that up. HEE HEE)! Yet, how much time is spent on it? And to make it even more convenient, you can get an app for it,too!

It appears that I’m looking down my nose on all these things. I’m not, because, obviously, I enjoy blogging and I like to see what everyone else is up to (Facebook). But the question is, am I allowing something that is good and can be used for the Lord to monopolize my time? Am I more concerned about my pins or about what someone thought of my picture on Facebook than I am about talking to my children? It’s easy to allow these no-brain-required activities to take over when I have some down time.

The question is, then, how does a person make sure that their time isn’t taken over by these things? I think a good comparison would be on how we handle money. Money in and of itself is not bad. It can be used for the Lord. But as soon as we allow it to monopolize our thinking, it becomes a terrible thing.

People budget money in order for it to be a useful tool for them. The same mentality can be used for social media. Here are some steps that can be taken for budgeting your media:

1. List which media you are involved in.

2. Indicate numerically from least to greatest (one being the least and ten being the greatest) which ones are the most important to you. A good way to figure this out is by thinking about what you want to accomplish with each one. Different kinds of media accomplish different things. Twitter is just a network of tidbits of info. It is great for networking professionally. Blogs take longer, because if you want to be successful, you have to write well. You can’t just quickly write down a thought and publish it. Editing is required. I think you get the picture.

3. How much time do you really want to spend on each one? (This really is a sequel to number two.) For instance, Facebook is great for connecting with people. But…if you have allotted 30 minutes for it, then you have to be careful of how much you look at pictures or read status updates. These can be informative, but many times the information is not that important and therefore, a waste of time. Set a timer if you have to.

You may find that certain avenues of communication need only be slotted for certain days. When you budget your time, it is amazing how much you can accomplish in a smaller amount of time that would have otherwise been spent browsing.

The main point is this. Family, after God, is the most important thing we have in this world. If we put them first, they will last with us throughout our lives. Media won’t. Set aside the iPod Touch or whatever you use when your kids need you. There will be no regrets.