Social Media Mapping

My accounts: Facebook (contribute to), Instagram (ct), Twitter (ct), FacebookPage (ct), ClassDojo (ct), Nextdoor (ct/read), OfferUp (ct/r), MoundsView (r), Linked-in (r), REI (r), Yelp (r), Podbean (r), CraigsList (r), Vimeo (no longer visit), Youtube (nlv), Spotify (nlv), MySpace (nlv)

My top 3 forms are Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. These are the main ways I interact with people on social media. Since I have been on FB longer, in both personal, professional, and ministry/caring capacities, I have accumulated a greater number of connections. I have just over 1,800 friends, which is way more than I'm capable of cultivating, obviously. However, these various connections have been useful in lining up worship/camp/retreat gigs, finding musicians over the years and remaining aware of what’s going on around the Cities and beyond.

I have a number of family members I keep track of. Though we don’t see each other in-person, or spend much time communicating via social media or otherwise, it is nice to know what they are up to, how their families are growing, and notice if something major happens in their lives. The Marketplace portion of the Facebook platform is something I use often, as we buy/sell quite a bit of stuff through this pathway. My wife sells handmade, wood stencil signs and I am constantly on the lookout for the next size-up for the kids, as they continue to grow.

We moved to Shoreview from S. Minneapolis a few years ago. Facebook, primarily, was the method by which connections with neighbors were fostered, save our regular face-to-face interactions. I was interested to see all the various activities, celebrations and struggles they shared online. It gave us something to chat about the next time we met. It helped me stay connected to the pulse of the area. In addition, I was invited to join a group of dads for dads’ night out, which meets once per month. It was critical in building deeper connections with this group of men throughout the week. I learned a lot about their families, careers, hobbies and how we might build a robust sense of community.

As I think about the context of different contexts, all wrapped up in my various social media usage/consumption (family, church, nonprofit, advocacy group, etc.), I take note that I encounter some of the same people in more than one medium, though their presence is curated differently. Some of my friends use one platform specifically to sell art or other conduct other business ventures, while maintaining a personal public page as well. Others of my friends use one outlet or another to be more political or more “social mediactivist”. I tend to be more political on Twitter, while my Instagram self is more focused on Seminary, developing pastoral imagination and exploring empathy.

I am one of the managers of the Faith Lutheran Church Facebook Page and Instagram account, so I am frequently using those platforms for work-related reasons. With all of this, I know that my worlds collide and are quite entangled. I have friends from every part of life, past and present, gathered together. Maintaining this level of diversity reminds me how important it is to hold space for those who hold a position or belief other than my own, especially of colleagues, co-workers, neighbors or others I see regularly.