August 10, 2022

Jerry Benge

Associate Pastor, Missions

Beware the Dangers of Social Media

What I’m about to say could potentially put me in hot water with people who are prone to make snap judgments of others, which may unwittingly support the point I am trying to make here. Let me also add that I have strong convictions and concerns about what is currently unfolding, both nationally and globally. So please, don’t write me off as indifferent about the future that our children or grandchildren will likely be facing. And, don’t think I am fearful or hesitant about discussing difficult topics when and where I am able to do so within the guidelines and tenor of Scripture. Just understand that my biggest concern (and conviction) is that as followers of Jesus Christ, we must be committed (albeit imperfectly) to thinking, responding, and communicating in a manner that aligns with our faith claims. Anything short of that undermines our credibility and lends itself to accusations of hypocrisy.

My main point here is not so much about the substance of disagreements that are so prevalent in public discourse, but the setting and manner in which professing followers of Christ conduct such discussions. On this point, I am specifically questioning the value of social media (in its present format) as the best means for productive, carefully nuanced conversations on difficult topics.

In much of the discourse that I have observed, conversations are often reduced to a zero-sum game: “I am 100% right. My opponent is 100% wrong.” (often followed by pejorative expressions toward or about one’s opponent). Social “discourse”, in a manner of speaking, has become more like a gunfight with participants hiding around the corner, waiting for their opponent to stop and reload so that they can return fire. At its worst, it resembles a verbal drive-by shooting. While the shape and tone of such “speech” is nothing new (e.g. Lamech’s “twitter rant” several millennia ago in Genesis 4:23-24), it has proliferated in the last couple of decades through the rise of social media.

When it began to emerge in the early 2000’s, Facebook grew rapidly due to its perceived benefits: quick access to present friends; opportunity to reconnect with old friends; and the opportunity to make additional friends. But with those benefits came unforeseen consequences. For example:

• “More but less” relationships: I am referring here to the tendency to “friend” (a relatively new verb) an ever-increasing number of people, but at the expense of deep, mutually beneficial relationships.

• “Social distancing": I’m not referring to the CDC guideline for addressing the Coronavirus, but a phenomenon influenced by the limitations of something less than face-to-face communication. Language includes not just the content of our words, but the totality of how we express ourselves: volume, tone, posture, gestures, etc. In fact, “body language," or the lack of access to it, can profoundly affect our perception of other people and their message. This is incredibly relevant when it comes to matters on which we differ with one another.

• “Reductionism”: Perhaps I should call this the “twitterization” of public discourse. Or better yet, reducing conversation to “bumper sticker” quotes or attention-grabbing “sound bites.” I am not for a moment suggesting that these things are morally wrong. I think they can occasionally be useful. But when it comes to issues where people differ, they bring more heat than light to the conversation. After all, when you are in a dark cave trying to find your way out, you don’t want a bonfire. A good-sized candle or flashlight is what you really need.

The point here is not for believers to censor themselves from addressing difficult topics. It is to prepare ourselves by considering the following truths. We must be fully aware:

1. Of the power of the tongue to hurt or to heal (Proverbs 12:28).

2. Of our powerlessness to use our tongues in wise and constructive ways apart from a wholehearted commitment to Christ (James 3:1-4:12).

3. That treating God’s image bearers with contempt is to show contempt for the One in whose image they were created (James 3:9-10).

4. That the progressive work of the Holy Spirit both enables and requires us to use our tongues to build each other up (Ephesians 4:29-30).

5. That the credibility of our professed faith is either supported or invalidated by the way we relate to others in our speech (James 1:19-27).

May God help us to step back and reflect on this issue in a way that shapes our participation in public discourse, for God’s glory.