Facebook Is Not the Devil

For some reason, I almost felt controversial typing in that title. But it's true that Facebook, snapchat, (insert name of social media here) is not the devil. I get the privacy thing, anything is public blah blah. Kids need to be protected. Of course. Yes, anything can be used for evil, but that's just the point. Anyone with their mind set on doing something bad is going to find a way to get it done, be it social media, texting, or even in person. Telling someone to completely do away with social media to take away temptation for doing bad stuff sends the wrong message. It says: 1. I am not at fault for my choices. 2. An inanimate object has the power to arbitrarily manipulate your mind. 3. I am incapable of making a good choice with something that has dangerous potential. The human mind is amazingly creative (when it wants to be). What it wants to accomplish, it generally does. The same thing that has potential for evil generally has equal potential for good. If parents are worried about what their kids do on social media, do what your title says you do: parent them. Not allowing any exposure to that kind of thing is lazy and dangerous. Communicate with them about what could happen with the internet and allow measured exposure to such things. The danger (to reiterate a previous point) is that we're teaching people that they aren't at fault for their choices. Super main point: take personal responsibility. Doing right is up to you, not Mark Zuckerberg. side note (well actually another main note, with some of the same points as what I just made): I'm tired of people blaming girls for how a guy thinks. No girl jumps inside a guy's mind and forces him to think a certain way. A guy who wants to lust can do a pretty good job of that no matter what a girl wears. And I'm not advocating nudist colonies here. But at the end of the day, guys have to realize that if we lust, it's our fault. -RST