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It’s not good for humans to be alone—not good because in our aloneness we don’t image a profoundly social God as we’re designed to do.
What the serpent offered was knowledge that would cause the humans not to reflect God, but to rival him.
There’s a way to use social media that reflects God. And there’s a way to use it that rivals him.
It’s our ability to be influenced that allows us to be conformed to the image of Christ.
We cannot help but be shaped by what we look at. As has often been noted, “We become what we behold.” Or, as Jesus put it, “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness” (Matt. 6:22–23).
Time-wasting, or a desire to lose our sense of the passage of time, is evidence that we want to be like God in an unhealthy way. We subconsciously covet his eternality. We tell ourselves that there’s plenty of time and we can spend it without thought.
For time-bound humans, all time spent on social media is time that will not be spent elsewhere.
When we long for omnipresence, we lose our ability to be fully present where God has placed us.
We dare not tell ourselves that we can afford unlimited relationships that aren’t face-to-face. To do so is to embrace idolatry, robbing our real relationships for the sake of our virtual ones.
In a similar way, social media appears to inspire creativity, offer true community, and foster meaningful connection. But too much consumption can lead to emotional turmoil and spiritual defeat.
Brian Borgman describes emotions as “an inherent part of what it means to be a person. . . . Emotions are more than feelings; they tell us about what we value and what we believe, producing desires and inclinations that affect our behavior.”
Our emotions are given to us by our Creator.
The life of Jesus exemplifies that our emotions are not wrong or sinful in and of themselves but are meant to drive us to God
First, we need to recognize that what we see, read, and hear on social media has a direct influence on our emotions, both positive and negative. The question is not, “Is social media affecting my emotions?” but rather, “Am I aware of the influence social media is having?”
Ultimately, our relationship with social media, whether toxic or healthy, is dependent on the state of our hearts, the priorities of our souls, and what we love and value.
Guarding our hearts doesn’t mean keeping ourselves from experiencing emotions, positive or negative. Our emotions are not evil or something to be feared, but neither are they meant to steer our hearts by themselves.
Our ability to feel and express emotions points us back to our need for God’s strength, stability, and sanctifying work in our souls. While the waves of our emotional state may change with the blowing wind of content we consume and circumstances we walk through, the promises and truths we have in God’s Word are a steadfast, unchanging anchor to our souls
Unlike the buttercup flower that draws bees without providing what they desire, God’s Word is a sweet flower that satisfies, nourishes, strengthens, revives, and restores our souls—always supplying what we need (Ps. 19:7–14).
Secure in Christ, our happiness is not found in posting, likes, followers, or even how we feel. True happiness and lasting joy are found in knowing Christ and being fully known by him—no profile, posts, or likes needed.
So basically—and here’s the painful truth—all of us are simple and lack sense. The voice we choose to listen to is the difference between life and death.
Before we mindlessly pull out our phones and begin to scroll, it’s important to ask: What’s the best use of my time in this moment?
Also, what we spend our time looking at greatly affects what we’re thinking about.
Our greatest problem isn’t spending too much time on social media. Our greatest problem is that we’re not spending enough time in our Bibles.
We need to add more of what’s truly good into our daily routines instead of only subtracting what’s potentially harmful.
God—not our experience, age, or understanding—is the source of all wisdom.
Don’t settle for the crumbs of social media when you’re offered the option of feasting with the King.
This problem starts when our relational standing with others feels like it depends on our online presence.
I feel like if I don’t post on Facebook no one will ever know what’s going on with my family. Additionally I’d I don’t see my friends post on Facebook I don’t know what’s going on with them.
It’s the consequence of a medium that, for the most part, keeps relationships shallow. Photos, two-sentence announcements, political shares, or 10-second stories are liable to take the place of lengthy conversations with family and friends.
But all we’ve done is come face-to-face with our own perceptions of the content they created.
The irritation we feel grows, while the fruit of the Spirit starves.
Unlike God, I’m limited. I can only interact well in one medium at a time. I want to be fully present with those around me.
We must press deeply into relationships rather than assuming we know someone because we see what they post.
Holiness isn’t marked by the number of times you quoted Scripture on your pages. It’s inward.
If you cannot bear to love your sister in Christ after seeing her post, I’d suggest that you need to interact with her in person.
If social media is costing you Christian fellowship— either from online interactions or from neglecting in-person opportunities—then you may need to leave.
In a world where we fight to be present and struggle with all sorts of fear of missing out, our unique God offers us true communion with him and promises his presence to us all, at all times, forever.2
Instead, we use social media best when we invite others into the communion we already have with God.
Social media can be a tool for work and rest. But to make the most of it, we must realize it isn’t a neutral tool; it’s a tool with a specific aim (an aim that can be harmful).
Examples of how social media can hinder good work: avoiding hard tasks through mindless scrolling spending more time crafting a perfect feed than creating new art feeling crushed by comparison instead of focusing on what you have to offer letting your mind be filled with quick and easy but poor-quality content instead of digging through the tested truths
Examples of how social media can hinder good rest: sleeping poorly because you “have” to watch “just one more” video being available for clients 24/7, no matter what spending more time interacting online with people you’ll never meet in real life than with the people God has surrounded you with ignoring the importance of solitude and time in nature in favor of always consuming content
If I’m gathering ideas for a project, asking my online community for suggestions might be a great use of time. But if I’m seeking specific information, I probably need to do the harder work of researching or reaching out to an expert.
If we simply “go with the flow,” we’ll end up going with their flow.
We’re often blind to what’s good because we’re too busy with what’s easy.
It seems we’ve forgotten that real life is much more beautiful than living through our screens.
So get out that list of things you’ve always wanted to do but never find the time for. Things that promote good work and good rest. Things that seem idyllic and even silly: baking cookies taking a morning walk visiting a museum or library working from a beautiful place with no internet access learning a new language hosting a weekly dinner with guests
Remember: eliminating what makes us stumble—although necessary—is not enough. We need to fill ourselves up with the things that make us flourish. We can’t settle for eliminating the bad; we need to surround ourselves with the good.
You can make a choice. And the choice might be to not have to make a choice. You can resolve to—at least some of the time—stow away the pages and platforms and instead reach for whatever is true, good, and beautiful all around for you to enjoy.
It’s not that social media is all bad or should never be used, but each of us would benefit from evaluating our habits—making sure this technology is serving God’s greater purpose in our lives.
This is also true for social media. We must consider whether it’s mastering us, how it’s affecting our witness, and what it means to use it with wisdom.
Somewhere along the way, I stop experiencing social media FOMO and instead, I start having JOMO—the joy of missing out.
