Screen'd

David made a bold declaration regarding the content that he wished to allow into his heart and mind; we can read in Psalm 101:
2 I will behave wisely in a perfect way. Oh, when will You come to me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.
3 I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; It shall not cling to me.
4 A perverse heart shall depart from me; I will not know wickedness.

We have the capability to control what goes into our hearts and influences our spirits.  We are told in Proverbs to guard our hearts.  So, we can erect filters around our minds, using the Word of God as our standard, in order that we are not negatively impacted by the pollution of this world.  We can make sure we keep our minds as pure as possible, so that the love of Christ flows out of us, so we can be encouraged and encouragers.

+++++

The Bible provides a prescription for how we should speak and act, and what we feed into our souls can be a determinant of what comes out. Ephesians chapter 4 states:
29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.
30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.
32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.

Our social skills can be severely warped if the core of our interaction is social media.  Behind the technological curtain, I guess people feel free to say or type things that they would never say to a person in their presence.  It can be downright mean on social media, even among believers, with Scriptural violations left and right - name-calling and motive-questioning, disregard for another person's dignity. 

And, Americans are taking note of the potential harmful effects of social media.  Faithwire published a story recently saying:

A new survey of American adults found the majority believe social media platforms do more harm than good.

The NBC News survey, conducted in mid-April, showed 64% of the 1,000 respondents said social media does more to divide Americans than bring us together, while only 27% said it brings us together.

The Faithwire summary goes on to note:

Among those who utilize social media at least once per day, 49% said it enhances their lives, while 37% said the behavior worsens their lives. Thirty-two percent of all respondents claimed social media makes their lives better, while 24% said it makes their lives worse.

And over half of parents indicated that the pandemic has increased their children's screen time. The article also notes:

Nielsen, which tracks media trends, found in April 2020, just one month after the lockdown measures were put in place, that social media usage exploded — a spike that came just as more tech companies were grappling with the damage of social media overuse.

I think that increase could be an ominous sign of greater negative interaction online. 

And, generationally, respondents noticed the ramped-up rhetoric, with "61% of young adults and 71% of seniors" indicating that "social media sites are doing more to fracture the country than bring it together."

I think a critical question is: Where do you go for information?  We have to make sure that we have developed a list of trusted sources from which we can consume our news. And, an even more important question is, "Where does the Bible fit in?"  We rely on the Bible to govern our view of the world and to provide the lens through which we can see and interpret the news and information we consume.

We can also be devoted to encouragement and edification.  There is certainly a human tendency to go negative in our thoughts and statements.  We can certainly become discouraged with trends that we see in the world today.  Nevertheless, we are called to be people who radiate the love of Christ and we can seek to edify fellow believers and expose ourselves to words that will build us up.