Social Media and Marriage
By Pam and Bill FarrelSocial networking is commonplace today. Every day 300,000 new users sign up for Twitter and one out of every dozen people has a Facebook account. Social media is a force, a power, and as the wise uncle in Spiderman says, “With great power comes great responsibility.” Instead of pulling your marriage apart, social media can be used to pull you together.
My (Pam) new book, 52 Ways to Wow Your Man is full of ideas that can fan the flame of romantic love. One idea is to harness the power of social media for your relationship. Here’s how.
Touch Base with Tweets
Twitter offers both a public (everyone can see) and a private (direct message) option. In just 140 characters you can pack in a lot of love! You can tweet your mate some love in a matter of moments. The @ symbol with your mate’s Twitter name will ensure he sees the “mention.” Or you can direct message a tweet for his eyes only. (Note: Be sure the “direct” icon is clicked so the tweet is sent person to person, otherwise some of your most intimate thoughts and feelings will be broadcast around the world in a millisecond!)
Blext by Text
“Blext,” okay, we made that up for texting a “blessing.” You can create your own code or love language. Text messages can be a little more intimate because they go phone to phone. You can text your spouse and no one else. They are a great place to use a little creativity to fan the flame of love. Most phones allow for approximately 160 characters. Because space is at a premium, there are many abbreviations that can add meaning with only a few letters or icons. Here are a few examples:
BHL8—“be home late”
RUOK—“are you okay?”
GMTA—“great minds think alike”
Text the reasons why you love your mate. Here are some fill in the blank texts to get your creative juices flowing:
· No one else has ever made me feel (insert a verb) like you do.
· Your (insert a character quality) inspires me to be a better person.
· You exemplify (insert a character quality).
· You've seen me (insert your flaw), yet love me anyway. Thx.
· The way you show (insert a descriptive noun: affection/caring/love/emotion/) makes me
· feel loved.
Praise with Posts
Facebook can provide a canvas for painting a portrait of love and romance, too. You can simply place a post on his wall with a link, a graphic, or photo that can be uploaded. Places like Google Images can help you find pictures of almost anything. Sharing posted photos of you and your spouse is a clear message to the world that you love one another; if you add a comment under the photo and tag it with your spouse’s name, he (and others) can read your sentimental memo.
Direct the Dynamite
The most private of all electronic communication is email. This is where you can share your longings, praises, thoughts, and detailed encouragements. If you are separated from your mate for work or ministry, email can keep your hearts entwined over the miles. Be sure to use the “send a message” method when you want to share encouraging, romantic messages that are private on Facebook.
Email can become like the love letters of decades past. Because emails can be so packed with sentiment, consider saving them in a file or printing them and placing into a scrapbook and giving as a gift. Give this hard copy of your love as a gift for a special event like Valentine’s Day, Christmas, birthday, or anniversary. Or make a date and read each other the most beloved lines aloud in real time! With a little creativity and thought, social media can be a tool to bring you up close and personal with your spouse.
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