Revisited: Facebook Creeper

This is one of my top three hit posts of 2011. 

Are you a Facebook Creeper?

Now don’t get offended, I am not accusing you.

Let’s put a definition to what a Creeper is. The Urban Dictionary defines a Creeper as “someone who uses Facebook, but is looking at other people’s profiles, going through their pix, reading their messages. It's a little like stalking.”

Have you ever been accused of being a Creeper?

I have been; at first, I denied it with the same fear and horror as one who exits a restroom that was claimed with a rank odor by someone else, but you have to take the fall. Let’s face it: no one wants to be a Facebook Creeper because no one likes a creepy person.

The first time I was accused of being a Creeper was when I walked up to a student (their parents were not around, only friends) and I said, “I see you have a boyfriend.” She glowed with a shade of red that I have never seen before, or even knew was humanly possible, and she said, “Creeper!” I can’t help it that she posted her Facebook status for the world to see. But there it was, the first time I had ever heard the term “Creeper” before. I did what anyone in this situation would do. I blamed the girl, I blamed my mom and dad, I blamed Obama, I blamed the Republicans, I blamed global warming, I even looked up to God to blame Him. The term, “Creeper”, made me feel sleazy, even though I was innocent. Something about a 27-year-old man being accused by a teenage girl of being a creeper will do that to you. Please see disclaimer at the bottom.

The second time this happened was when a student had posted on their status, “R.I.P. Frank” in about 25 different ways over a couple of days. This typically means someone is dead. Right? When I asked if she is okay at church, she pointed an accusing finger at me and said, “Creeper!”  Come to find out it was only a bug that had passed away. The bug in the end received more respect than I did!

The first time being called a Creeper is scary. The second time after you know what a Facebook Creeper is, it’s humiliating. There have been other instances of accusations, but please read my disclaimer once again at the bottom of the page.

You know what, maybe I am a Creeper.  You know who else I’m convinced is a creeper (don’t worry I’m not going to say your name)? Jesus Christ. I have been reading the gospels with the only intention of getting to know Jesus better. Two things that keeps coming up are how Jesus knew what other people were thinking and how he formed relationships with others. Jesus knew other’s status updates before anyone ever posted one!

I’m going to make a bold statement here that has absolutely no scriptural backing:
Jesus would be a Facebook user if his earthly body were here today. And he would be a Creeper. Why? Because he loves you! He would have the best status updates and pictures. How awesome would it be to be tagged in a picture with Jesus! (I would have to buy a “Jesus is My Homeboy” T-shirt for it.) He would post on your wall and send you personal messages. He would have one heck of sibling list. Even though his Father is the ultimate gardener, he would NOT play Farmville!

I will confess: if I’m not a creeper, I want to be one. Why? Because I want to know you. I’m not like Jesus in that I am not God and I don’t know what you are thinking, so you’ll have to excuse me for reading your status updates. These status updates and wall postings tell me a lot about you.

Who your friends are…
What you are thinking …
What happened to you today…
Where you went on vacation…
Whether you won the game or not…
The funny things that happen…
If you had a good day at work…
What you are a fan of…
Who you are a fan of…
If your relationship is complicated…
If you broke up with your girlfriend…
Whether or not you killed it on that test…

And guess what?  All that stuff is important to me because you posted it, not because someone else told me. I want to celebrate with you, when you celebrate. When you are depressed, I want to be there for you. I want to know you better, because I love you and you are worth knowing.

So go ahead and call me a “Creeper”, because do you know what would be worse? If you said that I was uninterested and didn’t care for you. Jesus commanded us to “love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12). How can I love you if I don’t know you? How can you love one another if you don’t take an interest in one another?

Many experts think that social networking is resulting in the decline of face-to-face relationships. Maybe they are correct. Maybe Facebook doesn’t always result in deep relationships, but it could. We have a tremendous tool at our fingertips.

So I challenge you. Be a creeper. Don’t just creep because you are being nosy (because, well, that really is creepy), instead take that information and develop dialogue with others. In other words, take what you get from Facebook and actually communicate with the people you are interested in. After all, Jesus never looked into the mind or heart of someone without communicating with that person afterwards.

**As a disclaimer: I have never spoken to a student about anything that didn’t come up on my page. In other words, I am not going to their page and looking for ammo.