This secular observer’s social media advice sounds like the Bible

By Mark A. Taylor

In the wake of growing outcry over social media’s damaging influences, The Wall Street Journal published a whole set of short essays last week discussing the concerns. Each was written by an expert with far more experience, research, and vested interests than I, so I’ll not add my layman’s analysis to the discussion.

But I do want to make one small comment in response to one brief essay in the set. It was written by MIT professor Sherry Turkle, who asserts, “Changing social media is not enough. We need to change ourselves.”

She speaks as a best-selling author on the subject of relationships in digital culture, not a Christian blogger. Yet her point echoes a plea some Christian writers have made and all Christian social media users need to remember.

She speaks as a best-selling author on the subject of relationships in digital culture, not a Christian blogger.

She reminds her readers that Facebook’s primary goal is to keep users on the platform by showing them posts that keep them clicking for more. This “is most easily accomplished by engaging users with inflammatory content and keeping them siloed with those who share their views.” This needs to change, she says, and she mentions several ideas for how.

But the reforms can’t stop with lawmakers or algorithm writers, she observes. Users can make a difference, too, simply by how they respond to what they find on a platform like Facebook.  

This is where her essay grabbed me—because most of her plea for civility, humility, and calm would fit well in a sermon or Bible lesson. Let me share some examples.

Comfortable with solitude

“Facebook knows how to keep us glued to our phones,” she writes. “Now we need to learn how to be comfortable with solitude. If we can’t find meaning with ourselves, we are more likely to turn to Facebook’s siloed worlds to bolster our fragile sense of self.”

She doesn’t preach about where to find that meaning, but Christians know. Christians hang cross-stitched placards quoting Psalm 46:10: “Be still and know that I am God.” Christians see how Jesus pursued solitude with his frequent hours-long times in prayer. And Christians have read the apostle’s reminder to put off the “old self . . . to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:22, 24).

Christians know how to seek and where to find meaning. But how many Christians still labor with “a fragile sense of self” that could be helped with a more consistent pursuit of God? (And could they perhaps find more opportunity for that by spending less time on Facebook?)

Tolerating difference

This healthy self-image frees us for productive relationships with others. And this is where Turkle goes next. “We lose out when we don’t take the time to listen to each other,” she writes, “especially to those who are not like us. We need to learn again to tolerate difference and disagreement.”

Sounds close to what Paul commanded when he wrote, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.  Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:3-4).

Given the dissension or divisions in too many circles of U.S. Christianity today, many would do well to use Turkle’s words to summarize Paul’s. Would it help to add a banner inside every church lobby: “Tolerate Difference and Disagreement”?

Demonstrating humility

Turkle adds that instead of using social media to bully, take time to hear another’s point of view. “Begin a conversation, not with the assumption that you know how someone feels but with radical humility.”

And again we hear echoes of the apostle’s words, not only to the Philippians (above) but also to the Romans: “I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think” (12:3).

Humility may seem radical to the secular world, but it’s the expected mindset for followers of Christ. We rejoice when we discover humility among believers. But we shudder when we see the opposite.

Seeking empathy

One more compelling quote from Professor Turkle: “Empathy accepts that there may be profound disagreement among family, friends, and neighbors. Empathy is difficult. It is not about being conflict-adverse. It implies a willingness to get in there, own the conflict, and learn how to fight fair.”

This reminded me of one more directive from Paul, this time to the Colossians. “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person” (Colossians 4:6).

Unfortunately, I’ve read too many posts from believers either nasty instead of gracious, or (just as unfortunate, but seldom criticized) bland instead of deftly seasoned with compelling insight. Turkle’s advice prods us to do better.

 Pondering questions

So, after all this, I’m left with three questions:

Don’t you, like I, find it intriguing when comments from educated secular observers are corroborated by ancient directives of Scripture?

But how much social media abuse today is perpetrated by those who call themselves Christians?

And given the believer’s mandate to be light in a dark world, can we work a little harder to help make that happen each time we open Facebook or Instagram?

Photos by Glen Carrie and by Timothy Hales Bennett on Unsplash

To receive daily posts delivered directly to your inbox, complete the form at the bottom of our home page.
To download a printable version of today’s post, click here.