When you’re online, don’t forget that you are a real person. What we are online should not be far from who we are offline. Pakinggan natin ang message ng ating devotion sa last part ng ating series na “Internet Etiquette.

Tayo’y tinawag ng Diyos upang mamuhay sa kabanalan, hindi sa kahalayan.

1 Mga Taga-Tesalonica 4:7

Isang babae ang nag-decide na maging TikTok content creator to earn extra money. Noong umpisa ay puro Bible verses at trending dance moves ang kanyang posts. But when she decided to fully embrace the money-making life of a social media influencer, she upped her game by wearing scanty swimsuits and featuring other questionable video productions. When she was privately confronted by some of her close friends at church at tanungin kung bakit parang isang “sex bomb” ang dating niya sa mga post, nagalit ito. She accused them of being jealous dahil, unlike them, marami na raw siyang followers. After some time, lumipat ang babae sa malayong lugar at ini-unfriend pa ang kanyang mga churchmate.

How are you offline and online? Para ka bang may split personality dahil magkaiba ang iyong actions and behaviors privately and publicly? Not that hindi ka dapat magsuot ng swimwear o makisali sa saya sa TikTok, Reels, at iba pang platforms. Pero kung ang iyong public and private self ay hindi magkatugma, you might be accused of being a hypocrite.

Merong burden and pressure in living a double life. Minsan ay nasisira ang reputasyon o ang isang relasyon. Sinabi ni Apostle Paul, “Tayo’y tinawag ng Diyos upang mamuhay sa kabanalan, hindi sa kahalayan” (1 Mga Taga-Tesalonica 4:7). Kasama sa pamumuhay sa kabanalan ang pagiging totoo (Mga Taga-Efeso 4:25). Kailangan nating malaman ang kahalagahan ng pamumuhay sa kabanalan, ‘yung godly living at hindi lang being religious. Yes, one might have a public façade na kakaiba sa kanyang private life. But we all know kung gaano kahirap for these people to maintain that private–public life divide dahil hindi sila nalalayo sa public scrutiny. Uso na ngayon ang transparency and vulnerability, hindi ang pagkukunwari.

Having a good netiquette means we should be mindful of our behavior and treat others kindly. Thank you for always joining us here in Tanglaw on all our social media platforms. Please be kind enough to like and share our posts. Magkita-kita tayo uli bukas for another fresh message from the Word of God.