A Christian Perspective on Social Media Inputs

Pick it Up:

Our generation is deeply addicted to electronics. We spend hours a day scrolling social media, doing homework on laptops, watching tv shows and movies, playing games on our phones, etc. Don’t get me wrong, there are good things about electronics and social media. Social media helps us to stay connected with people who may live far away. Thanks to Christian influencers, we can learn more about the Lord online. We can find ways to keep us entertained.

However, there’s also negative effects. Our generation deeply struggles with insecurity and comparison. Probably because we constantly are looking at other people and their amazing lives. We also become way less present with what’s happening around us, simply because we are distracted by notifications on our phones. We don’t have as deep of friendships because we choose to watch movies together, rather than to talk. Hear me, I’m not saying electronics and social media are horrible, but I am saying that we have to be careful.

& Preach:

One of the biggest excuses, for college students specifically, when it comes to living a life devoted to Jesus is that “I’m too busy”. If you check your screen time, you probably spend 2+ hours on your phone per day. That doesn’t include time on your tv, gaming devices, laptops, etc. I promise that with some self-denial, you have plenty of time to live for the Lord right now.

Maybe you’re not struggling with finding time for the Lord, but instead you’re struggling with pride issues, comparison, or impatience. This could probably stem from your attachment to social media. For me personally, I don’t want to be the type of person who is constantly obsessed with other people’s lives online. I also don’t want to be the type of person who misses out on great experiences because I can’t put my phone down. I want to be a patient person, but that’s really hard in our age of instant gratification. That’s why I’ve implemented a few things into my life to help me better prioritize the Lord and the gifts He has given me. (I am NOT saying I’m perfect because I still very much struggle but these tips have helped me a lot).

• Have a Sabbath with minimal electronics
  • Give up 24 hours (or less if it’s too hard with your schedule) to devote to the Lord. During this time, power your phone off. Only watch one episode of tv, or other things like that!
• Spend time with the Lord before anything or anyone else
  • Don’t respond to texts before speaking to your Heavenly Father.
  • Don’t scroll on social media and start your day with comparison, when you can start your day with the Man who literally gave up His life for you.
• Set up boundaries with your phone
  • Set up a downtime on your phone. You can have certain parts of your phone turn off from 11 PM-9 AM or something like that. This can help you get better sleep and not even have the option of scrolling before spending time with Jesus.
  • Set up app time limits and have them passcode protected. I know this seems kinda crazy but it’s so helpful. If you only allow yourself 20 minutes a day on Instagram, then you have so much more time to sleep, be productive, be present with friends and family, and to talk to Jesus! Also, having a passcode so you can’t bypass the app limit is so important. It adds an extra level of accountability. Have a trusted friend or mentor have the passcode, so you don’t know it! Seems like a crazy concept but Jesus says to deny yourself….

If you want more in depth insights and advice, check out our podcast episode on navigating the noise!

Podcast: 

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2JFktd0IBU5H1N0f06aIv3

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/navigating-the-noise-a-christian-perspective-on/id1778314831?i=1000678197170