The danger of Social Media

[TransmutingSoul]

I see one of the greatest dangers of social media unfolds in the pernicious act of backbiting. Backbiting is one of the greatest spiritual errors any person can make. It has long lasting negative effects.

In all Faiths, they show us how to make ourselves better and not concentrate on errors that we see others may have. In the Bible it says we should "remove the plank from one's own eyes before trying to remove a splinter from another's eye."

So when will this stop?

Do you post or share posts that are showing the errors of others?

How will this pernicious habit stop?

Edit - The definition is:" malicious talk about someone who is not present".

Please discuss, Regards Tony

 

[Nakosis]

Do you post or share posts that are showing the errors of others?

Yes, I suppose. So we can learn from their mistakes

How will this pernicious habit stop?
Please discuss, Regards Tony

Do I take joy in the errors of other? Perhaps, mostly in the fact that this time at least it's not me that's made the mistake.

Others pointing out my mistakes could be harmful, if I let it be. Generally I don't. If it really is a mistake, it's something I need to learn. If it's not, then it's their mistake.

I don't go out of my way to point out the mistakes of others, but sometimes I do, point out the mistakes of others. I'd rather my mistakes be pointed out to me so I can fix them.

 

[Darkforbid]

I see one of the greatest dangers of social media unfolds in the pernicious act of backbiting. Backbiting is one of the greatest spiritual errors any person can make. It has long lasting negative effects.

In all Faiths, they show us how to make ourselves better and not concentrate on errors that we see others may have. In the Bible it says we should "remove the plank from one's own eyes before trying to remove a splinter from another's eye."

So when will this stop?

Do you post or share posts that are showing the errors of others?

How will this pernicious habit stop?

Please discuss, Regards Tony

Well, if you read something wrong don't you think you owe the other person to correct it? Or at least attempt to

 

[Riders]

I see one of the greatest dangers of social media unfolds in the pernicious act of backbiting. Backbiting is one of the greatest spiritual errors any person can make. It has long lasting negative effects.

In all Faiths, they show us how to make ourselves better and not concentrate on errors that we see others may have. In the Bible it says we should "remove the plank from one's own eyes before trying to remove a splinter from another's eye."

So when will this stop?

Do you post or share posts that are showing the errors of others?

How will this pernicious habit stop?

Please discuss, Regards Tony

There are also plenty of scam artists trying to get me to accept their friendship and trick me into thinking they are interested in a romance with me. I had a political guy who was in my church try to scam me with facebook telling me I had won a facebook lotto not long ago too. I do not trust anyone to be my friend or chat with me on facebook anymore ever unless they are blood relatives.

 

[Milton Platt]

I see one of the greatest dangers of social media unfolds in the pernicious act of backbiting. Backbiting is one of the greatest spiritual errors any person can make. It has long lasting negative effects.

In all Faiths, they show us how to make ourselves better and not concentrate on errors that we see others may have. In the Bible it says we should "remove the plank from one's own eyes before trying to remove a splinter from another's eye."

So when will this stop?

Do you post or share posts that are showing the errors of others?

How will this pernicious habit stop?

Please discuss, Regards Tony

Well I post to someone in their thread when I think they are incorrect.....I don't know why I would ever need to post that in another thread.

 

[Stevicus]

I see one of the greatest dangers of social media unfolds in the pernicious act of backbiting. Backbiting is one of the greatest spiritual errors any person can make. It has long lasting negative effects.

In all Faiths, they show us how to make ourselves better and not concentrate on errors that we see others may have. In the Bible it says we should "remove the plank from one's own eyes before trying to remove a splinter from another's eye."

So when will this stop?

Do you post or share posts that are showing the errors of others?

How will this pernicious habit stop?

Please discuss, Regards Tony

Social media sometimes makes me think back to when I was in school. There were some kids, certain personality types, who would just rub me the wrong way. They might have been backbiters, but they were oftentimes prone to opening their mouth and offering their criticism or opinion when it wasn't wanted or needed - or even particularly helpful. Sometimes they were just nasty or malicious - just the standard garden variety jerk. In school, you were more or less stuck with these people, since they were in the same classroom, the same lunchroom, the same playground, year after year.

As I got older, I learned I could find ways and make choices in which I would contend with such people less and less - or at least minimize my exposure to them. Over the years, I would socialize and choose to work with people who were similar to me in temperament and interests, so the "jerks" were pretty much non-existent for me and could be easily ignored.

But once I first got my internet connection and started interacting on message boards (Usenet at first), I quickly realized that I was often dealing with same personality types I had assiduously avoided for many years prior. One can do this with social media, too - either by avoiding it altogether or only visiting certain sites/forums or using the block/ignore feature which is available with most applications.

But if not, one might see a whole slew of different views and personality types, most of which one might not want to ride on the same elevator or spend more than 5 minutes with in person. But on the internet, they might still end up encountering them and interacting with them - even if they're nasty jerks.

 

[Twilight Hue]

I see one of the greatest dangers of social media unfolds in the pernicious act of backbiting. Backbiting is one of the greatest spiritual errors any person can make. It has long lasting negative effects.

In all Faiths, they show us how to make ourselves better and not concentrate on errors that we see others may have. In the Bible it says we should "remove the plank from one's own eyes before trying to remove a splinter from another's eye."

So when will this stop?

Do you post or share posts that are showing the errors of others?

How will this pernicious habit stop?

Please discuss, Regards Tony

If people didn't correct one another whether in rational form or ribbing, I would think we would be pretty screwed overall as a result.

 

[TransmutingSoul]

Well I post to someone in their thread when I think they are incorrect.....I don't know why I would ever need to post that in another thread.

There is no problem with that at all, that is not backbiting, as I see it.

I added the definition.

Regards Tony

 

[Heyo]

I see one of the greatest dangers of social media unfolds in the pernicious act of backbiting. Backbiting is one of the greatest spiritual errors any person can make. It has long lasting negative effects.

In all Faiths, they show us how to make ourselves better and not concentrate on errors that we see others may have. In the Bible it says we should "remove the plank from one's own eyes before trying to remove a splinter from another's eye."

So when will this stop?

Do you post or share posts that are showing the errors of others?

How will this pernicious habit stop?

Please discuss, Regards Tony

I could answer your questions but that would have to include criticizing the errors you made in your premises - so I don't.

 

[TransmutingSoul]

Well, if you read something wrong don't you think you owe the other person to correct it? Or at least attempt to

I see that is OK as well.

I added the definition.

Regards Tony

 

[TransmutingSoul]

If people didn't correct one another whether in rational form or ribbing, I would think we would be pretty screwed overall as a result.

I see that is also not backbiting.

I added the definition.

Regards Tony

 

[TransmutingSoul]

I could answer your questions but that would have to include criticizing the errors you made in your premises - so I don't.

I see that is not backbiting.

I added the definition.

So please feel free.

Regards Tony

 

[TransmutingSoul]

It may help that I edited the post to add the definition.

Regards Tony

 

[Aupmanyav]

"remove the plank from one's own eyes before trying to remove a splinter from another's eye."
So when will this stop? Do you post or share posts that are showing the errors of others? How will this pernicious habit stop?

You must remember that you are a participant to this game. By being Bahai, you are saying that you have something better than all other religions. Why would a follower of any other religion keep silent on that? So, leave out being holier than others.

 

[Heyo]

I see one of the greatest dangers of social media unfolds in the pernicious act of backbiting. Backbiting is one of the greatest spiritual errors any person can make. It has long lasting negative effects.

In all Faiths, they show us how to make ourselves better and not concentrate on errors that we see others may have. In the Bible it says we should "remove the plank from one's own eyes before trying to remove a splinter from another's eye."

So when will this stop?

Do you post or share posts that are showing the errors of others?

How will this pernicious habit stop?

Edit - The definition is:" malicious talk about someone who is not present".

Please discuss, Regards Tony

Thanks for the definition. That makes it much more clear.
Given that, backbiting is the dark side of a beneficial, possibly even necessary, human trait: gossip. Gossip keeps us connected to people who are absent. It can convey important information and it can raise sympathy for people, even if we don't see them.
But gossip can turn dark through two other human traits: inaccuracy in conveying information (Chinese whisper) and our tendency to make us look good.
Iterate those two and talk can go malicious even without malicious intent. This is something that is as old as humanity and not a specialty of social media. I'd even suggest that it is less dangerous in social media as here information is stored and can be traced.

So, when will it stop?
It won't. Especially not in RL. It can be mitigated through an education to think skeptically, to question a source, but we know that some people are immune to education and our psychology works against us. We have a drive to gossip and we have the tendency to store information even when it comes from a questionable source. We are also victims of confirmation bias. Often an information stays with us even if it had been refuted.

Do I post or share posts that are showing the errors of others?
I try not to and fail sometimes. I don't like gossip and try to stay away from it. That makes me look as not interested in other people and generally anti social in the eyes of some.

 

[lukethethird]

I see one of the greatest dangers of social media unfolds in the pernicious act of backbiting. Backbiting is one of the greatest spiritual errors any person can make. It has long lasting negative effects.

In all Faiths, they show us how to make ourselves better and not concentrate on errors that we see others may have. In the Bible it says we should "remove the plank from one's own eyes before trying to remove a splinter from another's eye."

So when will this stop?

Do you post or share posts that are showing the errors of others?

How will this pernicious habit stop?

Edit - The definition is:" malicious talk about someone who is not present".

Please discuss, Regards Tony

Beware before a house falls on you too.

 

[TransmutingSoul]

Social media sometimes makes me think back to when I was in school. There were some kids, certain personality types, who would just rub me the wrong way. They might have been backbiters, but they were oftentimes prone to opening their mouth and offering their criticism or opinion when it wasn't wanted or needed - or even particularly helpful. Sometimes they were just nasty or malicious - just the standard garden variety jerk. In school, you were more or less stuck with these people, since they were in the same classroom, the same lunchroom, the same playground, year after year.

As I got older, I learned I could find ways and make choices in which I would contend with such people less and less - or at least minimize my exposure to them. Over the years, I would socialize and choose to work with people who were similar to me in temperament and interests, so the "jerks" were pretty much non-existent for me and could be easily ignored.

But once I first got my internet connection and started interacting on message boards (Usenet at first), I quickly realized that I was often dealing with same personality types I had assiduously avoided for many years prior. One can do this with social media, too - either by avoiding it altogether or only visiting certain sites/forums or using the block/ignore feature which is available with most applications.

But if not, one might see a whole slew of different views and personality types, most of which one might not want to ride on the same elevator or spend more than 5 minutes with in person. But on the internet, they might still end up encountering them and interacting with them - even if they're nasty jerks.

I am not seeing many of these people are backbiting in those particular scenarios. If they are approaching a person directly, then to me there is no issue. If they are posting it across other media, then yes.

I see a lot of toxic posts about other people and what they have done wrong and then a lot of holier than though comments against that person. This is backbiting to me, the person is not there to defend these comments, nor most of the time would they want to be.

TV reporting has made this common pace as well.

Regards Tony

 

[TransmutingSoul]

You must remember that you are a participant to this game. By being Bahai, you are saying that you have something better than all other religions. Why would a follower of any other religion keep silent on that? So, leave out being holier than others.

Go for it, if it makes you happy, I see that is not Backbiting.

Regards Tony

 

[TransmutingSoul]

Thanks for the definition. That makes it much more clear.
Given that, backbiting is the dark side of a beneficial, possibly even necessary, human trait: gossip. Gossip keeps us connected to people who are absent. It can convey important information and it can raise sympathy for people, even if we don't see them.
But gossip can turn dark through two other human traits: inaccuracy in conveying information (Chinese whisper) and our tendency to make us look good.
Iterate those two and talk can go malicious even without malicious intent. This is something that is as old as humanity and not a specialty of social media. I'd even suggest that it is less dangerous in social media as here information is stored and can be traced.

So, when will it stop?
It won't. Especially not in RL. It can be mitigated through an education to think skeptically, to question a source, but we know that some people are immune to education and our psychology works against us. We have a drive to gossip and we have the tendency to store information even when it comes from a questionable source. We are also victims of confirmation bias. Often an information stays with us even if it had been refuted.

Do I post or share posts that are showing the errors of others?
I try not to and fail sometimes. I don't like gossip and try to stay away from it. That makes me look as not interested in other people and generally anti social in the eyes of some.

Thank you for the thoughtful reply.

If one is praising another persons virtues in their absence, then to me this is positive and does not fit the criteria of backbiting.

I agree with you that it is mainly done to show ones own self as being above such actions, but usually all we see is a reflection of our own selves, things we are still capable of.

I see it can stop, but it takes a lot of practice. There are some wonderful stories I have heard about people that have put this into practice, here is a short version of one I heard.

There was a person that had many people come round for evening meals. During the meal that person would excuse themselves many times to go to the bathroom. One time while they are away someone asked concerning the health of the person. Another that knew the person well, suggested that when the conversation changed to negativity towards a person, that was not there, then the host always needed to use the bathroom. This soon became known to people that visited and they soon stopped these conversations.

Regards Tony

 

[TransmutingSoul]

Beware before a house falls on you too.

Sorry, not sure what you are saying here.

Regards Tony