I think many people would describe their relationship with social media as love-hate. We can't deny that social media has opened up an amazing space of connection and opportunity, but we're all aware of the dangers it presents too.
I've been thinking a lot lately about the right way to use social media. With all the pitfalls and hurt it presents, should I even be on it in the first place? I don't think there is a clear answer (unfortunately). Like with the physical, "real" world, I think we should be selective consumers of social media. There is good and evil there, as in any part of this broken world, and we should take care not to be lured into the pitfalls that exist. I think the speed with which social media has developed - and is changing - can make it difficult to recognise potential pitfalls. For example, in the past few years, the notion of posting things to a "story" has become a space for voicing political opinions, broadcasting friendships and highlighting memories. None of these things are of themselves evil, but they are all fodder for sins like intolerance, jealousy and pride. This dynamic is something that has developed so quickly it's difficult to be aware of, let alone resist the temptations it presents.
On an episode of the CUI podcast discussing social media, Matt Lewis noted that it can be a great place of first contact. Plenty of YouTubers and prolific bloggers have made this point also. There is no doubt that social media has and can continue to lead people to Christ. The reach of social media is unlike that of the real world. People in Brazil and France can be engaged with simultaneously. Social media has no closing times. It has become an important part of many of our lives, and more and more we turn to it for answers and solutions. It is very much a mission field in its own right, and as in Jesus' day, the fields are white with harvest. How many lost people do we come into contact with everyday via social media? Particularly in this time of lockdowns and limiting our social interactions, social media is the way we connect with both loved ones and strangers.
Clearly then, we have a responsibility to use our social media - if we feel called to use social media at all - for the glory of God. If this is where God's children are gathering we can go to meet them there. But how best to use this thing which harvests so much good and evil? These are three things I think could help:
1. Eliminate the idols of social media.
I’ve heard it said "if you go do mission in Brooklyn, you must first rid yourself of the idols of Brooklyn." In the same way, we must rid ourselves of the idols of social media if we are to be effective witnesses in that mission field. This list of idols is different for all of us. For me they include:
* Beautiful people
* Fashionable clothes
* Travel and holidays
* 'Perfect' bodies
* High follower counts and engagement
* 'Perfect' families
* High salaries
* Homeowners
* Car owners
* Productivity
* Impressive theological knowledge
It's a long, long list and it's not exhaustive, but I think it helps to be aware of all the snares that can trip me up. I know what can trigger me and what kind of content I should avoid. By shining a light on these idols, I can recognise when I'm prone to idolatry and set up boundaries accordingly. Sometimes that means taking time off of social media, other times it might involve unfollowing a certain account that is driving me to sin. In a world full of opportunity and information, it is critical to be self-aware.
It's so important that we are rooted outside of social media, that we don't use it for self-validation or to find meaning. This is another subtle concept that has only been made clear to me from experience. We can all accept the danger of looking for likes and follows to boost our confidence. Although I doubt many of us could claim to be completely free from this particular yoke, we can readily accept and recognise that it's not a healthy way to use social media.
But more than that, I think it is important to be consciously rooted in reality while using social media. You can be a person without social media in the real world, but you can't be on social media without living in reality.
There's a danger of using social media as a public journal and expecting a certain response. Genuineness and honesty is needed on social media, and can be encouraging and cathartic, but using social media for comfort and validation is a dangerous experience. I understand the longing for community, and the lure of the like-minded, but we can't use social media to work out our hurt and pain. These things must be solved offline for true healing to take place.
2. Being a selective consumer.
I've found it useful to be very picky about my content. That's not to say that I'm frugal with my follows or subscriptions - I have an inefficient disregard and disinterest in the follow ratio and I'll usually give every account, channel, profile a chance. But if I notice after a while that I am not benefitting from an account, or that I am being led to negative thoughts by it, I am quick to unfollow (apologies to anyone who watches their followers attentively as I flip-flop on and off your list in a vague effort to minimise my sin).
Social media thrives off of reactivity. It functions well with unkempt thoughts and responses which are flung back with little or no consideration. The thrill of anonymity and the cowardly courage that comes with a screen fuels this reactive and unconsidered type of speech. I loved Jeff Bethke and John Mark Comer's podcast Fight Hustle, End Hurry (as well as their respective books). One concept that they came back to time and time again was that our lives are so much more fruitful and joyful when we live contemplatively, not reactively. Social media is not built for contemplative living, and to use it for that requires awareness, commitment, and diligence.
Healthy boundaries with social media are important. I try to be free of social media when at work, and only click into Instagram and YouTube after 5 pm. A lot of Christian leaders urge their listeners not to check their phones until after their morning quiet time, and I've noticed a profound difference between the days I do and don't heed this advice.
3. Remaining rooted in Christ.
This is the most predictable way to end this reflection and also the most important point I've made. It is so important that we cling to Christ in every endeavour. Nothing else matters if we are not first and foremost holding onto Him.
There's an amazing promise in 2 Corinthians 3:18 that as we spend time with the Lord, we are being transformed into His image. This, surely, should be our primary goal - not a multitude of Twitter or Instagram followers, but likeness to Christ. Everything else flows from this.
At the end of the day, we can say what we want about the encouraging nature of our calligraphied Bible verse posts, or our sharp and intellectual political x theological jibes, but if we are not reflecting Christ then our mission on social media is void.
The curated online profile is a well-known danger of social media, but its prevalence is not hampered by its fame. It can lead to comparison, jealously and putting yourself down, but for the contributor it can lend itself to a dangerously false self image. C. S. Lewis, in what is probably my favourite book of all time, The Screwtape Letters, writes of the strange but accurate notion of inner and outer spheres of thinking. We can quite easily convince ourselves that we are patient people if we show patience to the stranger at a bus stop. But if we come home and treat our loved ones with habitual impatience, can we really claim that virtue?
In a similar vein, we must strive to be like Christ in all aspects of our lives, to be saturated in Him, to grow closer to Him, to love Him more, not just online but truthfully. Particularly for Christians, I think there is a danger of using Instagram for devotions, or watching a YouTube video to substitute church.
We cannot open our Bibles only for Instagram photos, or to find a verse worthy of our next Tweet. Christ demands our whole lives.
Social media is not my mission field, it is the Lord's. Thank God that we are not tasked with the responsibility of anyone's salvation except our own. I don't need to use social media to shame people into becoming Christians. Social media is not a space for me to storm into with my guns blazing. Social media is a place where I should witness to God in the same way that I should witness to Him in my offline life. It is not a replacement for reality or a substitute for deep and personal relationships. It is simply another place where we can shine the light of Jesus.