Social Media for the Follower of Jesus
There is great danger in social media.
We find there abundant misinformation, conflict, divisive comments, insults, anger and threats. It can be a very unhealthy place.
How does the follower of Jesus engage responsibly in social media?
Mistakes
We have all made mistakes with comments or posts we have made. I try to be very careful with what I say and post, yet I have found myself, on occasion, where I do not want to be.
Minimizing mistakes in our efforts to share news, updates and comments is very important if we are to keep our witness and our faith strong.
Remember who we are
The Bible is clear that we are representatives of God’s kingdom on earth. We are to be salt and light. The gospel literally means good news! If we are to carry good news to the world, we must do all we can to ensure our message is good – positive, filled with grace and love.
We have a ministry of reconciliation. That is, we are engaged in reconciling people to Christ so they may live the abundant life.
We are called to be peacemakers. This requires us to soothe conflict, introduce the peace that God gives and, above all, not to make conflict worse!
Social media limitations
Too often what we see in posts and comments are words that should be shared in face to face conversation with someone we are in a relationship with. Short posts can be misunderstood and misconstrued or taken out of context. And comments carry even greater danger of these things.
The algorithms they use will also distort the content we see and the responses we can make. So something we see will not necessarily reflect reality. Emotion is a strong driver and people gravitate towards things that anger or frustrate them, sharing them broadly and amplifying those negative emotions.
There is very little in a way of filter to what we see. There is no concerted effort to give you what you want to see but you see what others want you to see instead – and much of that is unsettling or unhealthy.
Social media dangers
One of the greatest dangers we see is the proliferation of misinformation. This happens on every topic possible. Self-professed experts declare what is the ‘truth’ in order to promote their viewpoints of their brand. Just because someone says they are a doctor or lawyer or economist or anything else doesn’t mean that they are. These ‘authority figures’ or influencers are generally more interested in promoting themselves than in genuinely helping a situation. They know how to manipulate people with their pronouncements. And they are very good at it.
In addition, there are simply bad actors, foreign agents, who are determined to proliferate false narratives and promote conflict and discord.
Another danger is the lack of context. I have seen Bible verses taken out of context to promote a certain viewpoint or course of action. Quotes taken out of context can excite rage and disproportionate response. It is important to recognize this limitation and danger.
What should the follower of Jesus avoid posting?
Before I share these things, I want to make it perfectly clear that we are not abandoning any moral issue by avoiding these things but that they are more appropriately discussed in another setting – in conversations, Bible studies, sermons and, even, in prayer.
Political statements. Nearly everything has become political – from entertainment, the cars we drive and even the groceries we buy! Politics is highly divisive. It is filled with conflict and strong opinions and followers of Jesus are subject to these same differences.
When we promote a particular partisan perspective, we alienate those who disagree with us. And frequently those are the very people we need to be engaged with in a ministry of reconciliation. Making someone our enemy because of politics makes it exceedingly challenging to bring them to Jesus!
LGBTQ statements. This is another controversial and divisive issue. When we feel we need to make a moral stand regarding this, we should do it privately. Making this stand in the impersonal way of social media makes it far more difficult to reach people for Jesus.
Unknown sources. When we share posts that come from unknown sources we risk spreading misinformation, misleading guidance or out of context statements. Not only that, we amplify these dangers by simply hitting ‘share.’
What should we do instead?
Stay positive. Encouragement, blessing, joy and peace are good things to pass on. Family pictures, good times and God’s blessings are positive.
Pause. Before we post anything or comment on something, we must ask ourselves if what we are about to do is positive or could it be seen as divisive. There is a time to speak up for what is right. Seldom will that be on social media. If I spend a few minutes scrolling through my feed, I am always tempted to comment – to fight back against something that is offensive to me or is blatantly false. But then I realize that it would be pointless and counterproductive to do so.
Pray. Ask God for guidance about what you should share or comment on. Know God’s word well enough that you can seek his direction this way, as well.
Be part of the solution not part of the problem. When we are faithful stewards of the gospel, we will always be part of the solution. When we inflame controversy, insult those with contrary views, express righteous indignation or promote false information (deliberately or accidentally) we make social media a more dangerous place for everyone. That is not the work of a faithful steward.
Your turn
What will you do next? For most of us, we need to radically reexamine how we interact with people on social media. It’s time to be light and salt, grace and peace, joy and love. Will you do all you can to be that person the next time you are tempted to post, respond, share or react?