Do introduce yourself. I would love to meet you.

So here’s the place where you’d typically find the sleek icons requesting to connect on social media.

But have you ever looked for Tom Richter on Facebook? Or a Tom Richter Twitter page? What about Tom Richter on Instagram, Tik Tok, or your social media platform of choice that is so cool no one has heard of it yet?

And what did you find?

Nothing. :(

What's the deal? Why isn't Tom on social media? Doesn't he love us? And want to connect with us? Don't tell me he's still using a flip phone (and, like, churning his own butter).

Here's what Tom says:

People ask me all the time about social media (and why I'm not on anything) and it's simply a matter of knowing thyself.  

To strive to live like Christ, we each must know how to overcome our "signature temptations."  An alcoholic may decide he simply cannot enter a bar, a materialistic person may have to avoid a shopping mall altogether, and a person, in my case, prone to approval addiction, decided long ago it would be best to avoid social media altogether.

I do not think social media is bad; many people use it well and use it for the glory of God and the spread of the gospel. Again, it is just a matter of knowing yourself.

As a speaker (again, I want to say this is just a personal conviction, NOT a rule I think others should follow), I know I would feel pressure to get likes, upvotes, re-tweets, views, and shares. A little too much pressure.

I wonder if maybe I would start to care too much about people's reactions to my preaching on social media (Did they like it? Did they think it was funny?) If so, out of my insecurity, fueled by the instant feedback provided on social media, I would start to need people in an unhealthy way.

And if, in an unhealthy way, I begin to need the people I preach to, I can no longer be free to love them. 

I gotta be free to spit the truth the best I can, and I encumber myself enough without the added encumbrances of the pressures of social media.

For this reason, I never joined any social media platform and have no intent to do so. I DO love to connect with people, though! For that, I use an ancient technology—email. :)  

Let's talk!

Blessings,
Tom

P.S. I gotta get back to churning butter.