Digital Danger
WRITTEN BY DREW MATZ
In an age where we are so connected to everyone, many of us feel more alienated than ever before.
The science fiction-writers of the early twentieth century captured the imaginations of millions. In their stories, these pioneers peered into the future luxuries and technologies that the following decades would bestow upon mankind. They championed the uninhibited progress of mankind into a scientific and secular utopia. All of the limitations that held man back; greed, envy, and isolation, were thought to be the last maladies to be overcome by scientific progress. Once the last frontiers were put to rest through scientific revolution, humanity would be able to live in total peace and happiness.
Fast-forward to the twenty-first century and we are living in a world that even the most optimistic futurist would be surprised to see. We have access to anyone, anywhere at the push of a button. We carry all the world’s known knowledge in our pockets. We can observe what family and friends half the world away are doing, in real time. We can even fly to our destinations in a matter of hours which would have taken weeks to transverse in the past. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram have largely displaced the public square for the sharing and proliferation of ideas. All things considered, many of the aspects of the scientific utopia of people like H.G. Wells and Isaac Asimov have come to fruition. Yet they may be surprised that it has changed society in quite the way that they had assumed. Far from eliminating human misery, technology has merely provided another way for humans to sin against one another.
The Impact
With all of the supposed advances on the technological front, one wouldn’t be faulted for thinking that the overall human condition has vastly improved. Indeed, in many ways technology has enriched our lives for the better. However, the plethora of technology available to us has come at a high cost to our emotional and relational well-being. Shockingly, some studies have shown that social media can be as or more addictive than both alcohol and tobacco.[1]
What’s more, the social media age has drastically altered our perception of relationships. Many social network users have reported feeling more lonely than ever before, even when their connections with others via the internet are at an all-time high. While there may be benefits in the connections we share with our loved ones online, the hidden danger lies in replacing our intimate connections with others with the excesses of the social media experience. The highly addictive nature of the internet can lead to many pitfalls in our marriages, friendships, and professional lives as well.
Here are three realms that social media addiction threatens:
Marriage
With the opportunity and anonymity offered by sites such as Facebook and Instagram, it is no surprise that marriages have often suffered through the dangers of social media. Spouses who exhibit an addiction to social media have a multi-layered dilemma. Their constant need for their social media fix drives a wedge in their relationship with their spouse while at the same time placing themselves in compromised situations in the virtual realm. This can manifest in striking up online connections with someone other than their spouse, gambling, or pornography. Each of these issues, if not addressed, can be fatal to a marriage. As one recent article pointed out, there has been a well-established link between increased Facebook use and increase in divorce.[2] It is for this reason that Proverbs warns us to always guard our hearts from things that could corrupt us (Prov 4:23).
Family
While excessive attention to social media is certainly a marital danger, this can also affect our family dynamic. The days of families resembling a Norman Rockwell painting seem long-gone in many of our modern households. Instead of finding entire families in one room playing a game together, you’re just as likely to find entire families in one room, each one playing a different game or engaged in a different social media activity.
Today, it is not unusual for children to be using electronics and digital platforms by 2 years of age, getting a significant amount of their daily stimulation by way of phone or computer screen. In fact, recent Pew statistics show that upwards of 45% of teens describe their online presence as nearly constant.[3] This radical re-orientation of the family relational dynamic can create serious relationship problems within the family, with family members feeling like all their attention goes toward social media, rather than to one another.
God
While the dangers of social media addiction are abundant in our relational lives, we cannot ignore the danger it poses to our spiritual life as well. Social media offers an enticing temptation – a promise to fulfill all your needs for affirmation, friendship, and knowledge of what is going on around you.
However, scripture teaches us that nothing can substitute for God to meet our needs. He is the only true source of fulfillment in our lives, despite what the social media marketers and utopians may tell us. As Paul warns us:
“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit” (Rom 8:5-6).
Let us therefore turn away from the temptations of the flesh that are offered through social media, and exercise temperance in all things through Christ our Lord.
Put on the Armor
As with many things, God has given us many gifts through technology – and social media in particular. Indeed, it has been used to advance the Gospel in many areas of our lives. However, we must always remember that with great gifts comes the responsibility to use them to glorify God rather than ourselves. There is always the risk of idolatry with all technology, and when we worship the creation rather than the creator, it spells trouble for us and our relationships with one another. Therefore, let us do as Paul suggests:
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
Ephesians 6:11-12
[1] Tim Clinton, Chap Clark, and Joshua Straub, The Quick-Reference Guide to Counselling Teenagers (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2010), 531.
[2] Everett Rosenfeld, “Social Networking Linked to Divorce, Marital Unhappiness,” CNBC, 7/8/2014, https://www.cnbc.com/2014/07/08/social-networking-linked-to-divorce-marital-unhappiness.html.
[3] Monica Anderson and JingJing Jiang, “Teens, Social Media,” Pew Research Center: Internet and Technology, 5/31/2018, https://www.pewinternet.org/2018/05/31/teens-social-media-technology-2018/.