What is the Message?
Five For Friday #2
In a recent article, Dr. Glenn Packiam lamented,
As a pastor, I am keenly aware that my time of contact with the people in our church is woefully low in comparison to the time they (and I!) spend online.
It is true! Most pastors will spend far less time feeding and leading the sheep during a week than the people will spend online. But I also think the majority of Christians (and most people) will admit they spend way too much time online. Social media, news feeds, and YouTube videos relentlessly capture our time. These media sources are created by human beings (with the rise of AI, not entirely true). Once the information “goes live,” however, it takes on an identity of its own. It is beyond the influence of the person(s) who created it.
Back in 1958, philosopher and media theorist Marshall McLuhan declared that “the medium is the message.” His argument was that the characteristics of a communication medium (how it works and how it affects our senses) have a greater impact on society than the specific content it carries. I think this is at least partially true of social media today. Because of its semi-anonymous nature, people will post statements and responses on media feeds that they would not say to a person face-to-face. The medium has become the message!
The message is that people feel that they can say anything they like on social media. There is no need for decency, civility, or kindness. This is because the person at the “other end” of a post has been dehumanized by the fact that they “exist” only in the online world. They become like characters in an online war game. “If I destroy them, so what! They are not truly real.”
In his article, Dr. Packiam goes on to say.
For every attempt at spiritual formation, there are 10x as many interactions with counter-formational influences that are pulling them in non-Christlike ways.
Maybe you are the type who does not engage people in online discussions. Maybe you only read what is being posted. Still, the toxic rhetoric is influencing you. Even silently agreeing with or reposting a funny meme that puts another person (politician or otherwise) down is not what we should be doing as Christ Followers. Listen to the words of the Apostle Paul,
Let all bitterness, anger, and wrath, shouting and slander be removed from you, along with all malice. And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ. - Ephesians 4:31-32 CSB
We are to be kind and compassionate. We are to be forgiving. We are to be edifiers, building others up, for Paul also said, “So then, let us pursue what promotes peace and what builds up one another” (Romans 14:19).
Here are today’s five questions for you to process and ponder:
1. What would be the impact on our society if we refused to accept online viciousness as a given?
2. How does Christ forgiving me impact how I think about or treat others online?
3. How have I personally added to the toxic rhetoric on the social media platforms I visit?
4. How can I create “meaningful and edifying online conversations?
5. How can I become a peacemaker and forgiver of those who spew venom against specific people or parties online?