Digital Detox?

As we’ve come to the end of our current Sunday School, Resolving Everyday Conflict, we felt the need to the address the topic of Conflict and Social Media.  That message from this past Sunday is available here. One of the points made in that talk was the importance of personal, human interaction.  While digital interaction can be a blessing in so many ways and can certainly be used redemptively, it should never become a means of avoiding actual conversations and face-to-face interaction.

In the following article from the Covenant Eyes website, Leigh Seger tells us to take a break from technology this Christmas – a digital detox.  Alongside of a number of other stunning statistics, she points out that 53% of young adults 18-29 get online for no particular reason.  Don’t do it!  Redeem the time, don’t waste it.  Especially during the holidays.

A recent study conducted by the American Public Health Association (see also here for a nice summary of the findings) examined the health risks that hyper-texting and hyper-networking has on teens.  There are shocking correlation between social media obsessions and increased stress, depression, and even suicidal attempts.  It points out that while social media doesn’t cause these things, there are very real correlations statistically.  Christians need to be especially discerning about how they spend their time and what they give their lives to.  We will reap what we sow.

NY Times ran an article this week as well titled, “Shunning Facebook and Living to Tell About It.”  One 24-year-old admitted, “I wasn’t calling my friends anymore . . . I was just seeing their pictures and updates and felt like that was really connecting to them.”  The article went on to talk about the gap Facebook had created between her and real friends.  We discussed Sunday how a vibrant social online life can give a false sense of connection, meaning and identity – things we all crave.  The challenge for the Christian is to find those things in Christ and all that the Gospel accomplishes and not in the many substitutes the world has to offer.

Connection?  You have been joined in to God’s family through adoption!  Meaning?  God has connected you to the very purpose for which you were created – to bring him glory and you joy!  Identity?  For all those in Christ, wrath and seperation have been removed and the perfect righteousness of Christ has been applied to our account!  We don’t have to search for connection, meaning, and identity the way the world does.  So enjoy FB.  Use it to God’s glory.  But don’t let it become a God-substitute (idol).