The Social-Media-Examined Life Is Not the One That Sustains Us

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How engaged should we be on social media, as followers of Jesus? A little? A lot? Not at all?

Here is some great insight about social media from Karen Swallow Prior. Karen is Research Professor of English and Christianity and Culture at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and the author of “Fierce Convictions: The Extraordinary Life of Hannah More — Poet, Reformer, Abolitionist,” among other titles, and is editor of a series of classic literature, most recently “Jane Eyre” and “Frankenstein.” She and her husband live on a 100-year-old homestead in central Virginia with sundry horses, dogs, and chickens. And lots of books.

I was recently asked if the life I lead — the public one, as a writer, speaker and “influencer” (as they say) — was the one I’d always envisioned for myself.

The answer is no.

My public life is not what feeds the desires of my heart. It is not the vision I had for myself. My public life is the things that happened along the way while I set out to do different things: read, study and teach.

It’s the public things, naturally, that draw people’s attention. And, just as naturally, it’s those same public things — in contrast to the workings of the inner, hidden life — that become fodder for other people’s aspirations and emulations. It’s human nature to cultivate desires based on what we see before us.

Our new digital age magnifies in new ways what we see — the public personas, portrayals and projections — immeasurably, often distorting reality beyond recognition. A socially mediated life severs the outer public person and the inner private self; cultivates unrealistic expectations that lead to disappointment and bitterness from hopes unfulfilled; purveys plastic people and distorted dreams.

Recently, after giving a talk on such effects of this technological age, I was asked what visions we might offer to counter these false ones. One suggestion I gave is to focus on the joys of everyday, ordinary life to counter the romantic notion that in order to serve God well we must “do big things” and “change the world.”

- - - The truth is that we serve God best when we love our neighbors and each other faithfully and well in whatever ways God calls us.
    - Yes, God calls some to serve in loud, public ways.
    - But he calls us all to serve, too, in quiet, inglorious ways.

Doing either well depends on how we form and feed the inner life — the heart, mind and soul.