The popularity of ask.fm seems to be waning. Nevertheless, I wanted to share a few thoughts about the trend, particularly some interesting things it can tell us about human nature.
What is it? Ask.fm is a social networking site in which users can ask each other questions, usually anonymously(more here). As of August 2013, the site boasted 70 million registered users.
Like other sites such as Twitter and Facebook, ask.fm is not in itself good or bad. It is a tool and as such can be used for either purpose. This said, ask.fm seems to pose some risks. The questions asked on the site range from basic questions (what is your favorite color?) to more personal questions (what do you think about X in our class? who do you have a crush on?). The very format of the site puts pressure on people to answer the questions, regardless of how intimate they are. Unsurprisingly, this was often a recipe for disaster. In fact, the site at times facilitated cyberbullying.
What can we learn from ask.fm? The very popularity of ask.fm shows that within each of us there is a desire to know and be known by others. This desire can certainly get distorted (ex. gossip, bullying), but the desire itself is good. What makes ask.fm troublesome is that it expects people to reveal their thoughts/desires/dreams to anonymous people. In fact, it seems to violate what I think is a law of human interactions:
Since we have have been made in the image of God, it is not surprising that for God too the principle that "revelation is proportional to relationship" holds. We see this in two ways:
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| source: http://ask.fm/about/logos |
Like other sites such as Twitter and Facebook, ask.fm is not in itself good or bad. It is a tool and as such can be used for either purpose. This said, ask.fm seems to pose some risks. The questions asked on the site range from basic questions (what is your favorite color?) to more personal questions (what do you think about X in our class? who do you have a crush on?). The very format of the site puts pressure on people to answer the questions, regardless of how intimate they are. Unsurprisingly, this was often a recipe for disaster. In fact, the site at times facilitated cyberbullying.
What can we learn from ask.fm? The very popularity of ask.fm shows that within each of us there is a desire to know and be known by others. This desire can certainly get distorted (ex. gossip, bullying), but the desire itself is good. What makes ask.fm troublesome is that it expects people to reveal their thoughts/desires/dreams to anonymous people. In fact, it seems to violate what I think is a law of human interactions:
Revelation is proportional to relationship.If our relationship with someone is superficial, we will not share much about ourselves with them. The deeper our relationship is with someone the more we reveal to that person about ourselves. Likewise, the more we share with someone our hopes, dreams and opinions, the deeper our relationship with that person grows. The problem with ask.fm is that it demands personal revelation where no relationship is possible because the questioner is anonymous. When I think of ask.fm, I am reminded of Jesus' warning:
Do not give what is holy to dogs, or throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them underfoot, and turn and tear you to pieces. (Matthew 7:6)
Since we have have been made in the image of God, it is not surprising that for God too the principle that "revelation is proportional to relationship" holds. We see this in two ways:
- Within the Trinity: the three Persons of the Trinity share a perfect relationship. As such, their revelation and communication with each other is perfect. As Jesus said: "All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him." (Matthew 11:27).
- The Trinity working in the world: Over time, God has gradually and progressively revealed Himself to humanity. He has done this not to satisfy our curiosity but so that we would respond to what He has revealed about Himself and chose to enter into a relationship with Him. The greater the revelation, the greater the relationship requested. Jesus Christ is the ultimate revelation of God to the world. In Him we see the true face of God. This revelation is meant to provoke a choice: will we enter into a personal relationship with Him or not?
What's the point? We need to be aware that we all have a desire to know and be known by others. This desire is good. We should remember, however, that we should only reveal ourselves to others according to the depth of our relationship and as a way to grow the relationship. When this doesn't happen, people can get hurt. We need to be strive to grow in good, healthy relationships so that we can more and more reflect the One in whose image we have been created.
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| Holy Trinity, Andrei Rublev (1360-1430) |
