Using Technology as a Witness

When it comes to our final session in our study “Everyday Disciple” (the use of technology as a follower of Jesus), we must remember where we have come from and then examine our individual journey into the future.

We began our sturdy with the reality that everybody follows somebody. Jesus has called us out to follow Him on His mission to redeem the world. Everybody has a choice to make, so who do you follow?

Then we looked at the opportunities that are before us in our everyday life. Whether at work or at play, what really matters is following the REAL Master. Remember, it’s not about WHAT you are doing, it’s HOW you are doing it.

And last week, we were reminded of the reality of the local mission field. YOU ARE God’s messenger to accomplish God’s mission. So be the salt of the earth, be the light of the world where YOU ARE.

SO…what role does technology play in this process? And why even bring it up concerning discipleship?

Here’s a hard truth we must all face…Social media has become a sort of a necessary evil in our world. There are elements of social media that we despise, yet much of the world lives around the social media spectrum. So, most of us choose to engage.

I want to talk to you for a few minutes about the purpose of social media, what we should understand about it, and how we should relate to it.

What does this have to do with discipleship? Let’s explore…

Every day, we wake up and engage with the world around us. Whether at home, at work, at school, or online, we all engage with others in some form or fashion. When it comes to our phones, Americans check their phones an average of 93 times a day.

Why? A couple of reasons, FOMO & Addiction.

We can easily become obsessed with what we are missing online, so we keep scrolling. We keep checking notifications.

We also become addicted to our phones — specifically social media.

A social media executive for one of the largest platforms has admitted this reality of addiction saying, “we need to give you a little dopamine hit every once in a while.” The little red badges, every notification, these engagements on our app... feed that addiction and chain us to our devices.

Social media platforms have been designed and cultivated to do just that, draw us in and lock us into an addiction that is fed every time we see the warm glow of the screen. The systems are designed to enslave us. We are being played. How?

The platforms manipulate us through their algorithms. Why?

To make money. How do they make money? By selling ads. And they sell ads by capturing your data and your attention. One well known platform does this better than any other platform on the market. This platform’s executives admit it. The secret mathematical formula developed to determine what you see when you open the app is “designed to serve you more and more divisive content in an effort to gain the user attention and increase time on the platform.”

The Apps know how to keep you scrolling.

Do you know the most effective way to suck you in and keep you scrolling? By making you mad.

Social media companies make billions of dollars by playing with your emotions, fueling your rage, and creating an addiction that causes you to live within the online community instead of the off line community.

These platforms do not have a preference to give us content that makes us happy or mad. They just want you to feel something.

And truth does not matter. In fact, the more outrageous or controversial the content is, the better.

The funny thing is, we flock to social media to seek happiness and fulfillment because we have failed to find it in the real world. We exchange the truth of God for a lie.

We are fed lies like the more attention one receives, the more value one has when in reality attention does not equal value. What is most popular is not always what is most valuable.

As we engage in technology, we consume content…and content consumes us.

The creators of social media Apps have made billions and billions of dollars for a simple reason…they have applied computer science skills to hijack the human brain and sell attention for profit.

How? They figured out that you will check your screen hundreds or thousands of times per day to find affirmation and attention. These clicks and scrolls engage the pleasure centers of the brain, kind of like a dog ringing a bell to get a treat. Then they figured out how to sell space on your screen for billions of dollars.

In 2020 alone, Facebook made over $84 billion harvesting your attention. Google? $146 billon. Twitter? $3 billion. Our engagement made them financially wealthy and left you spiritually impoverished.

But, you say, I just engage for the social aspect, to connect with others. You need to understand that socialization, being the most valuable part for you, is the most lucrative part for their business model. Where there is attention, there is money.

These companies don’t care about us, they just want our data. They want to learn all about you, your likes and dislikes, your wants and needs, your desires and longings, and your behavior. They have also learned that there is a way to maximize their profit margin…by manipulating your behavior. They have slowly shifted from just harvesting information for profit to weaponizing the information to modify and manipulate your behavior.

One social media expert has even admitted the reality that “the goal of everything we do is to change people’s actual behavior as scale. We want to figure out the construction of changing a person’s behavior, and then we want to change how lots of people are making their day to day decisions. We can test how actionable our cues are for them and how profitable certain behaviors are for us.”

Social media wants to shape the way you think, the way you feel, and the way you see the world. Social media turns us against each other by any means necessary. The goal is to maintain the addiction and to increase profit margin.

We need to recognize that the water is poisoned. We must recognize that every alert, every interaction, every like, every click, every drip of data shared in the well of the web will be used for their profit and our loss.

Now, what does this have to do with discipleship?

Before we read scripture, let me reiterate a truth shared in our midweek service this past week. When it comes to the Word of God, we can feel at times that it’s beating us over the head. So let’s reframe the picture. Does anyone use a mirror at home? What does it accomplish for you? It reveals anything that is out of place or that needs to be fixed. The Bible does the same thing for us. So, let’s not judge one another, but instead, let’s allow the Word of God to reveal any areas of weakness in ourselves. Then you can decide what you want to do about it. Sound good?

I have highlighted a few dangers of technology and how it seeks to impact your life. Creating in you a sense of FOMO…feeding your addictive tendencies…and seeking to manipulate your behavior.

Believe it or not, Paul has much to say regarding these kinds of danger. In his NT epistles, he gives us clear instruction regarding our relationship with technology. I know, I know, there was no Facebook or Instagram in the ANE. But just listen and let it be a mirror for your heart.

In Romans 12, he says this…

2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

In his letter to Titus (3:9-11), Paul warns us against the divisiveness of the world and how we should relate:

9 But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. 10 As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, 11 knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned

Instead, we should (2 Timothy 2)…

15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. 16 But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, 17 and their talk will spread like gangrene

So, how should we relate to one another, especially non believers? Well, Paul has us covered here too. In Colossians 4 he says…

5 Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. 6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

You are probably asking, “What’s the point?”

Here you go…

You need to understand the resources that you are utilizing in your everyday life.

You need to understand what these resources want (and get) from you in exchange for your constant attention and engagement. So, use it wisely and in moderation. Be careful what you share and who you share it with. Tighten your privacy settings. But most important. Remember where your value is found. Your identity is found in your REAL MASTER. So, make sure you dedicate more of your time, energy, and effort in your relationship with your Savior instead of your social media.

When you do engage with technology, be a difference maker. Remember it’s how you do things that matter. So, be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Stop exchanging the truth for a lie. Don’t let the world tell you who you are and what you should do. As Paul has instructed us...We must be careful how we walk (Ephesians 5)…

15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

Don’t waste your time. Take full advantage of it. Follow Jesus and make disciples who make disciples. As Jesus instructed his listeners regarding the most important rules to follow....First, LOVE GOD…with all that you are. And then, LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR…just as you love yourself.

Weekly Challenge

Take an audit your use of technology. Measure it against Jesus’ teaching. Are you loving God? Are you loving others? Look in the mirror. What is revealed? Make the necessary adjustments and keep moving.