Why and how to share…
May 2023
We do a lot of sharing on the internet. It’s kind of the Internet’s thing.
Some of the sharing is good. Some of the sharing is bad. Most of it is somewhere in-between and in the eye of the beholder. \
And lots of it we would all probably be better off not sharing, no matter what the beholder decides.
ANYWAY…
Why do we share it?
- We want to sound our “barbaric yarp” out into the world (my favorite term from Julie & Julia)
- Maybe it helps just us.
- Maybe it helps others.
- Maybe it’s both a & b.
- And maybe no one cares, let’s share it anyway.
- There is pressure to share what would be considered difficult, challenging, ugly and anger-producing on the internet. Hey, it’s reactions and clicks (good or bad) that drive the machine and get noticed and maybe get paid. And maybe just maybe, it does some of (b) above.
In sharing (because we are going to do it anyway), let’s do it right…intent matters.
Intent matters.
Because:
1) Sometimes we get lulled into thinking that THAT platform, or in THAT group, or on THAT website, it’s a safe space to share and we let ourselves go. (Have we gotten this out of our system yet? We should know it is a 50/50 shot and likely we are just as likely going to get haters as much as support.)
2) Do we really want our public persona to be defined by THAT ordeal or THAT interaction? Think carefully. If you go viral because you were the angry AT&T customer – that’s probably what you will always be known for no matter what else you do. (Not that I’m speaking from experience or anything…luckily I did it so long ago before “going viral” even existed. AND AT&T actually finally solved the problem because of it. So it was worth it.)
3) We hope that what we share will help someone else feel less alone, feel less like they are living in something that only they could understand. We hope that by sharing our messes, they give other people hope. (I hope and am going to assume.)
Intention matters. I’ve read astounding and comforting pieces that have sat in my heart and gave me hope, that yes, this internet can be a thing that unifies us and brings us together. Even these words on a screen, written by someone, I will never know, written years ago. It’s almost like…*gasp* a book!
I’ve read what I call “popularity-seeking, band-wagon jumping” drivel. Same topics as the above, but it just feels gross. Know what I mean? Same words – completely different outcome.
Because even with ChatGPT and AI, humans can tell the intent behind words. Again, even if they are written “anonymously” and are seemingly non-emotional and non-intentional – there is no such thing. We can tell.
I just listened to last Sunday when a pastor showed an example of where ChatGPT wrote a quick sermon on faith and works. It was correct and had all the “good sounding stuff” in there – but it felt hollow. If I hadn’t known it was AI, I would have thought it was written by a student in one of those god-awful essay questions where you just regurgitate information in different places than how you read it.
It’s another benefit of listening to The Still Small Voice. It tells us so many things if we are listening.
There’s a reason that article rubs you the wrong way. There’s a reason that a helpful diagnosis still feels like a slap in the face. There’s a reason that gift feels like an albatross.
Intention matters.
And it matters more than ever and will keep mattering more than ever.
We will use our technology tools, sermons and speeches will be written by AI and people will share and over share.
And though awkward, we already know and will continue to be able to tell the difference between a well-intentioned vs. attention-seeking vs. I asked AI to write it 5 minutes before I got up here to speak (which is really just another attention-seeking tactic).
Intention vs. Attention – I’m hoping Intention will win out. It’s a struggle. We are wired to look for and “pay attention”.
I’m still rooting for it, seeing progress and trying my best every step of the way.