Hey there once again. Perhaps this post will be interesting to you as a relatively short (who am I kidding) read.

Lately, Social Media has come up in a number of ways as a discussion in my life. I have a few thoughts on it which I really should and need to get down on the proverbial paper of this blog.

My blog (right here) is the place in which I have an open forum. On this forum, I can express my thoughts.

At some point I am going to need to reference back to the various facts and articles included on this matter. I need to get them all in one place. This will serve as said place.

If by chance you run across this writing, I hope it encourages you and perhaps gives you something to consider.

As part of our message last Sunday the speaker at church honed in on how many hours per day the average American uses various forms of Social Media. According to this Digital 2021 Global Institute report, if you live in America and are “average” in this regard, you are likely spending 2 Hours and Seven Minutes every day with your face glued to your phone or your computer.

In this recent video posted to Youtube host Ben Shapiro interviewed Candace Owens. A statement made by Mrs. Owens caught my attention. She asked her husband recently why he doesn’t participate in Social Media (according to her in the interview he has no online accounts in any Social Media). He stated at this specific point in the video that it’s because “…it’s all porn.” (see link)

She then makes the case that if you really took the time to study most of the content in particular on Instagram, it’s all asses and breasts.

I do agree.

I want to address this. I believe the most salient points on the entire matter are never brought up and are rarely, if ever discussed.

In particular it frustrates me some this issue is not brought up more in church. Yes, we hear plenty of messaging about watching our Social Media use, monitoring it, monitoring our kids and so on. I really liked what the speaker on Sunday said regarding the way in which we are so very distracted. (Our series right now is on hearing the voice of God.) He made a number excellent points that it’s less and less likely you are going to hear the voice of the Lord if you are constantly distracted by the “noise” of Social Media. He’s not wrong.

Yet, as the big screens roll up front at the beginning of church and throughout the services we see “Join our church on line. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Youtube (and worse yet) in some churches, Tiktok.

Wait…WHAT?!

Is it me? Do you see this perhaps to be a bit of a contradiction? If not, maybe as I lay out some interesting facts and statistics you may have a change of heart.

In the following paragraphs I believe you will see quite clearly that in fact the issues that SHOULD be addressed are not the use of Social Media as a distraction but instead the extreme power it has to be addictive in nature. This is the true root of the problem (and is rarely, if ever addressed).

In this November 10, 2017 Article Sean Parker says that Facebook is Addictive because it “Exploits a Vulnerability” in people’s brains.

Who is Sean Parker? Sean Parker is a former Facebook president and program writer and is in fact one of the founders and engineers of the platform. He came to Facebook from his previously founded company with which he wrote the programming code for, bootlegged file sharing giant Napster.

In this November 9th, 2017 Guardian Article more details were penned related to Mr. Parker’s talk at an Axios event in Philly.

Let me pull a few quotes from this article directly from Mr. Parker. Remember. He’s was one of the key developers and founders of the Social Media giant.

“It literally changes your relationship with society, with each other. It probably interferes with productivity in weird ways. God only knows what it’s doing to our children’s brains,”

More from the Guardian-

“‘How do we consume as much of your time and conscious attention as possible?’ It was this mindset that led to the creation of features such as the “like” button that would give users ‘a little dopamine hit’ to encourage them to upload more content.

‘It’s a social-validation feedback loop … exactly the kind of thing that a hacker like myself would come up with, because you’re exploiting a vulnerability in human psychology.’.

In this 2018 Harvard paper Titled “Dopamine, Smartphones & You: A Battle for your Time” by Trevor Haynes we learn a lot about Dopamine, how it’s activated and released in the brain and why it creates addiction.

If you choose to read the above, you will scroll down and find the following series of statements. (and this is KEY to my points related to this matter)

Variable Rewards Schedules

“How do social media apps take advantage of this dopamine-driven learning strategy? Similar to slot machines, many apps implement a reward pattern optimized to keep you engaged as much as possible. Variable reward schedules were introduced by psychologist B.F. Skinner in the 1930’s. In his experiments, he found that mice respond most frequently to reward-associated stimuli when the reward was administered after a varying number of responses, precluding the animal’s ability to predict when they would be rewarded. Humans are no different; if we perceive a reward to be delivered at random, and if checking for the reward comes at little cost, we end up checking habitually (e.g. gambling addiction). If you pay attention, you might find yourself checking your phone at the slightest feeling of boredom, purely out of habit. Programmers work very hard behind the screens to keep you doing exactly that.” -emphasis mine

Yes. You read that correctly. Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and all the other Social Media platforms specifically use the exact same brain programming used to create the addiction to gambling (as well as pornography).

Chamath Palihapitiya, Founder and CEO Social Capital, according to a profile at the website Topio Networks “was the longest tenured member of Facebook’s senior executive team and helped drive its ascension to one of the most important companies in the world.”

Chamath has become well known as one of the most vigilant and outspoken critics of not only Facebook but ALL forms of Social Media. In a popular Youtube video interview Chamath has a discussion over his guilt and regrets for his part in the development of Facebook. You really want to hear what he has to say in this particular section of this interview as he discusses the development of the company known as Facebook.

A few pull quotes from the interview. And remember, he was a key founder and developer of the platform.

“…we have created tools which are ripping apart the social fabric of how society works…”

“…if you feed the beast, that beast will destroy you…”

“…the short term dopamine driven feed back loops we have created are destroying how society works…”

“…I can control my kids’ decisions, which is…they are not allowed to use the sh**…”

and I’ll let you watch the portion I have linked above to get the full idea but I will put this one last pull quote from Mr. Palihapitiya

“…and you don’t realize it, but you.. are.. being.. programmed. “

You may not be aware of this but even the great Steve Jobs, now deceased founder of Apple, famously would not let his own kids use Ipads and Iphones. At the very least, use was extremely limited in the Jobs household.

As I close out this particular thought process for me, I have not even begun to unearth for you and expose the various issues brought forth by Frances Haugen’s testimony last year before a joint Senate committee. You may remember her as the Facebook whistleblower who exposed just how corrupt and morally bankrupt the upper rooms of Facebook are. Rooms filled with executives who knowingly approve of and release content now proven to be harming your and my daughters; those we have a God ordained responsibility to protect. How they are using it to trap young women into the addiction loops previously discussed. If you’d like to read more into that (particularly if you have young daughters) read these three articles from the New York Post.

• Five Takeaways from Facebook Whistleblower Frances Haugen’s Senate Testimony

• Facebook Whistleblower Frances Haugen Blasts Tech Giant on Capitol Hill

• Facebook knows Instagram hurts Teen girls but publicly downplays concern : report

The bottom line here for me is this;

If you are part of this Matrix you may want to consider changing your ways.

If you are a parent and you love your children, I implore you to snatch them from it’s clutches regardless of how much they scream, yell, and have tantrums. I mean really, if they are doing crack, or less, perhaps drinking alcohol with their friends would you allow them to keep at it just to fit in and not be cast out? There is not much difference in the two with regard to the damage they do to our young peoples mental and physical health. Shame on you if you allow them to maintain this specific addiction.

If you are a church please hear my heart on this matter. If, as an organization, you advertise and encourage interaction with your Facebook and/or Instagram presence (to hit the top 2) in my view you have surrendered any and all authority to preach on matters related to porn addiction, gambling addiction, and drug and alcohol addiction. (God help you if you encourage your vulnerable sheep to use Tiktok.) 😉

Even more importantly, in my view, you must then cease preaching about the travesty commonly addressed related to lack of biblical knowledge and study so prevalent throughout the church members today.

If you are going to push people to such sites having now been made aware of the addictive properties baked and programmed right into the product, you have no right to preach to and about your congregation’s priorities and their lack of time spent in prayer and bible study.

While my friend and pastor did an excellent job with his message this past week addressing the human condition of being distracted and how this distraction creates a disconnect with regard to hearing the word of God in their lives; the “follow us on Social Media” remained a part of the messaging video clips streaming across our screens. I believe the larger issues outlined here are still being left out of most discussion I hear on this topic whenever it comes up in church.

This seems, as I said earlier, a bit contradictory.

I do believe personally as Chamath says throughout the discussion on Social Media in the referenced video, hard decisions must be made (please be sure to review his comments by clicking the link above).

I’m not convinced the potentially 2 billion addicts now using Social Media will agree OR accept this.

I guess as I think about it, most of the gambling addicts or drunks and drug addicts I have known through the course of my life have ever thought or would admit they had a problem at all.

Same dopamine addiction as Social Media. I suppose it’s no surprise the addicted parties may never admit it.

It should not then be surprising to hear the denial and justifications used with regularity for the use of these platforms. You know, “We are to be in the world but not of the world”. That’s the most common justification I am fed by church leaders or lay leaders on this matter whenever I express the thoughts and content of this article.

Funny, whenever I suggest perhaps we might should consider setting up slot machines in church so as to draw in the gambling addicts to get them closer to Jesus, I am met with scoffs and rebukes. If I am to line up with the rationale of Social Media use, isn’t it then FAR BETTER they are in a church using the machines instead of in Las Vegas? I mean, they are THAT much closer to Jesus and the influence of the church if they are sitting on a stool at a Black Jack table or a Slot Machine if it’s in the lobby of the church! Right?

Better still, whenever I bring up one of my old acquaintances who used the excuse of telling the strippers in the strip clubs about Jesus as they lap danced for him as his justification for his regular visits…well…you can only imagine the response.

In my mind (and I am often called an extremist) there is little difference. Addiction is addiction. It’s all destructive. I do not like how we pick and choose those things which we will rebuke and condemn while condoning equally problematic issues. I.E. we approve of gluttony (obesity in the church is a thing) related to food, yet we condemn drunkenness and in some cases even condemn the very idea of drinking alcohol.

We condemn gambling or pornography but we approve of and in fact promote Social Media involvement…all three of which release and form the very same addictive patterns. I guess the latter is an acceptable vice because, well, everyone wants (is addicted to) it.

I find this to be troubling and very, very sad. It breaks my heart seeing in particular the younger adults who are hit hardest with this currently. Yet, mom and dad to it so it must be something to do.

Similar to gambling and the consumption of alcohol, do I believe that everyone who partakes is an addict? No. Do I think that these vices can be practiced in moderation? Sure. I do. Do I believe they are in the same league with Social Media? Based on what I have read and studied, Absolutely.

As such, I am willing to stand my ground when making my case that if the church in it’s beliefs would not promote or allow the participation in or the promotion of the former vices, they most certainly should stand against the promotion of the latter, regardless of the justifications with which they now attempt to make it acceptable.

If the creators of this madness and labyrinth are preaching so vehemently against it today, should not you and I, we, be concerned? Might we do well to heed their advice?

As a quick closer, check out this Youtube short posted by Chris Williamson, well known and respected speaker and motivator. Interestingly, as I was 1/2 through typing this post someone shared it with me not even knowing what I’m writing about in the privacy of my office. Must be a message needing to be typed.

Until next time,

-rob out