Anti-Social (Media)?

If we are not abiding in Christ, as Jesus instructs us in John 15, we become vulnerable to chasing the next "shiny object," the next big thing, the latest fad. But, God calls us to be devoted to His Word and to seek His face consistently. 1st Thessalonians chapter 2 states:
10 You are witnesses, and God also, how devoutly and justly and blamelessly we behaved ourselves among you who believe;
11 as you know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged every one of you, as a father does his own children,
12 that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.
13 For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.

Technology can be used of God, certainly, to draw us closer to Him - but it is not a substitute for fellowship and communion with the Lord.  Nor, to interact with God's people personally.  The pandemic has led to isolation, and virtual relationships have a dynamic of artificiality. The real Jesus, the Savior of the world, calls us into real relationship with Himself and with others.  We experience His sufficiency as we spend time in His presence.

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Jesus has provided us a relationship with Himself through salvation and appoints and enriches our human relationships, as well. The Bible tells us in 2nd Corinthians 3:
5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God,
6 who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
7 But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away,
8 how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious?

This week, there's been quite a bit of discussion about social media in our world. Mark Meckler, who ran the platform, Parler, to help restore it after being banned by various vendors, was on The Meeting House program earlier this week from the National Religious Broadcasters Convention, at which he spoke on the threat of Big Tech to Christian messages.  

And, the ramifications of the purchase of Twitter by Elon Musk is certainly big news - in light of believers finding themselves censored, "shadow banned" (a state in which their posts are hidden from viewers," and/or experiencing the loss of followers, there is great optimism that the billionaire will be making significant changes.

While Musk is calling for a reduction of restrictions, it appears Europe has another idea.  CNBC reported that:

Over the weekend, the European Union provisionally greenlit the Digital Services Act, which forces large tech companies to more aggressively police content on their platforms.

User-generated content platforms like Twitter and Facebook will be required to implement robust content moderation systems to ensure they can quickly take down illegal material such as hate speech, incitement to terrorism and child sexual abuse.

Mark Meckler and I, in fact, talked about the debate here in America about if and how the government should be involved in controlling content on social media platforms.  

CNBC reports that:

Cedric O, France’s digital minister, said that while there are “some interesting things” Musk wants to push for at Twitter, the EU’s new Digital Services Act “will apply regardless of the ideology of its owner.”

It also stated:

Thierry Breton, the European commissioner for the internal market, warned Musk that he will have to comply with the bloc’s new digital regulations.

“Be it cars or social media, any company operating in Europe needs to comply with our rules — regardless of their shareholding,” Breton tweeted Tuesday.

Can you say "government overreach?"  

Well, while we will likely have social media with us for years to come, there are signs that younger users of social media platforms may be souring.  A Faithwire story stated:

Zoomers — those born in the late 1990s and early 2000s — are turning their backs on TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram, leaving behind what many now see as “the ultimate waste,” according to the New York Post.

The anti-app exodus comes as Gen Zers are calling the platforms “toxic” and “obsessive.”

A new survey of 10,000 people commissioned by the investment bank Piper Sandler found just 22% of respondents between the ages of 7 and 22 named Instagram as their favorite app — down from 31% in 2020.

Another survey, published at Nature.com, according to Faithwire, which surveyed a significant larger number of people - over 84,000 people ages 10 to 80...

... found that “the cross-sectional relationship between self-reported estimates of social media use and life satisfaction ratings is most negative in younger adolescents.” Ultimately, the survey results suggested social media use negatively impacts younger users’ body image, life satisfaction, and self-esteem.

The Verge reported that, regardless of whether they used social media very frequently or sparingly, adolescents in the 16-to-21-year-old range saw lower life satisfaction simply as a result of engaging with the platforms.

The New York Post story stated:

According to a report in the Wall Street Journal last year, Facebook found that Instagram is harmful to teen girls and exacerbates body image issues, anxiety and depression, but downplayed the significance of those internal studies.

Emotional effects were also highlighted in another poll; the Post said: "A December survey from Tallo found that 56% of Gen Zers said 'social media has led them to feel left out by their peers.'"

The article adds:

According to the Tallo poll, most Gen Z respondents prefer TikTok to Instagram, with 34% calling it their favorite social media spot right now.

But even the most dedicated users admit to questioning the video-sharing phenom.

Perhaps the younger generations, which has consisted of voracious users of social media have discovered the social insufficiency.  If the COVID crisis has taught is one thing, it is that virtual relationships are not a real substitute for real interaction.  The line of demarcation between the real world and the virtual world has become blurred, and people are left desiring the type of fellowship that God has prescribed for human beings in His Word. 

This also impacts our churches. Coming up on The Meeting House, you'll hear from Leonardo Blair of The Christian Post, who wrote recently about how the emphasis on virtual ministry has had some consequences for churches - some have closed, others have dug deeper into what is called the "metaverse."  Again, while social media and other uses of technology can be effective ministry resources, we also should be aware that there are aspects of social media that can isolate and even divide believers. 

The bottom line: our sufficiency is in Christ - if we are looking to technology or anything else to try to truly satisfy our deepest, emotional needs - something that only Jesus can do - then, we should recalibrate our focus and look to the One who calls us into a relationship with Himself and gives us a rich, fruitful, joyful life.