Episcopal Church Foundation Vestry Papers - for leading congregations

Last week I met with people active in social media in the Episcopal Church. A term that sometimes comes up in conversations about social media is authenticity. While I feel it’s a word that is in danger of becoming overused jargon, I also think there is something behind the idea of this word that's worth examining.   

What exactly is authenticity? 

Every writer knows (or should know) that the narrator of his or her writing is constructed. This goes for nonfiction, too. With word choice and tone, with the things the writer chooses to reveal (or conceal), the writer presents only a partial picture.

Social media is no different. A person’s personality on twitter can be quite a bit different in person. I, for example, am a little more opinionated and loquacious on twitter than in person. This doesn’t mean I am being inauthentic when I tweet. It’s simply a partial picture of myself. We do this in our lives all the time, it’s simply more pronounced in text.

So, in a sense, the idea of authenticity is a myth, or at least an oversimplification. Perhaps another, simpler way to say what we’re getting at here is: Don’t be fake.

• This means no trolling, or posting and saying things solely for the sake of being controversial and getting a reaction. 
• This means not attempting to be “relevant” by talking about culture or current events unless they are actually issues that you care about or are genuinely interested in. 
• And it means never posting something online that would make you cringe if you had to say it in person.

That’s not to say we shouldn’t experiment or try new things and modify our voice online to reach more people. Social media, like all writing, presents just one aspect of ourselves. Just make sure what you present is honest and in keeping with your actual actions and interests.

Of course, I’m somewhat new to this conversation about the church and authenticity. What do you mean when you talk about authenticity?