Anti-social Media.

3 ways that social media is making us anti-social.

Statistics suggest that over 3.6 billion people are using social media. That's nearly half of the world's population. While social media has the ability to be used as a powerful tool, quite often, it does more harm than good. Social media was designed to bring people together - over time, however, it seems to have pulled them apart.

Here are 3 ways that social media has caused us to disconnect from God and from each other:

A long time, not a good time.

You may be surprised to learn that the average adult spends more than 3 hours per day on social media. And that number is growing exponentially.

Social media can be used for a number of great purposes: connecting people across long distances, communicating with groups, sharing photos with family and friends, and even ministry. But if we're honest with ourselves, many of us spend our time on social media comparing ourselves to others, coveting things we do not have, or just browsing aimlessly.

The precious time that we've been given can be invested into far greater pursuits: into our families, into ourselves, and into our relationship with God. 3 hours may not seem like a lot, but over the course of the week, that's 21 hours - a part-time job. Over the course of a month: 90 hours - thats 20 more hours than it takes to read the Bible from start to finish. Imagine, replacing one month of social media usage with Bible reading can take you from Genesis through Revelation.

And for those of your wondering, 3 hours per day of social media use, equate to 1,095 hours per year. That's a total of 45, full, 24-hour days! That a long time on social media - but is it a good time?

"One of the great uses of Twitter and Facebook will be to prove at the Last Day that prayerlessness was not from lack of time." - John Piper

Image is everything.

When it comes to social media, image is everything. The way we present ourselves, the way we want to be perceived - it matters to us. The reality is that it matters more than it should.

Image does matter. But it's not the image we present on social media that matters. The Bible says that God created us, His children, in his own image. That's the image that matters.

It's easy to look rich on Instagram. It's easy to present yourself as happily married on Facebook. When it comes to social media, things aren't always as they seem.

There is nothing inherently wrong with having a nice home, a flashy car, or wearing fashionable clothing. But if we're not careful, we can easily turn those things into the objects of our devotion. Turning a GOOD thing into a GOD thing is the root of idolatry.

FOMO

The fear of missing out. The idea that others are living better lives than you, have achieved more than you, or are further along in life than you. This is perhaps one of the greatest dangers of social media.

The fear of missing out. The idea that others are living better lives than you, have achieved more than you, or are further along in life than you. This is perhaps one of the greatest dangers of social media.

Although we're fully aware that the images uploaded to social media are the highlights of people's lives - airbrushed to perfection - we can't help but feel insecure about our own lives. Jealously, disappointment, even fear are emotions you might experience viewing photos of someone else's tropical vacation.

FOMO has the ability to send a believer spiraling out of control - experiencing anxiety every time they pick up their phone, but unable to put it down. Constantly re-opening their app-of-choice to see the latest updates, leading to even more social media use.

Get Inspired

Put down your phone. Close your laptop. Take a deep breath and recharge. You are fearfully and wonderfully made, in the image of the living God. Find rest in knowing that you are a child of God, and that you don't need to compare yourself to others. Move past the fear of missing out, lest you miss out on God's will for your life.

#socialmedia #relationships #fomo