Healthy Engagement In The Virtual World
We live in a connected world.
Everywhere I look, people are on their phones, and I especially notice this living in the city of Chicago. As I make my weekly grocery run, everyone walking through the store is on their phone. As I walk through the busy streets during rush hour, everyone around me is on their phone. As I step into a packed elevator in my apartment building, everyone immediately pulls out their phones. Everyone is constantly connected to the virtual world and yet, sometimes completely oblivious to the physical world. Almost ⅓ of the entire world’s population is connected via some form of social media. The birth of social media has changed our world forever. It seems that from the moment we wake up until the very moment we go to bed, many of us are glued to a screen of some kind, scrolling through newsfeeds, liking photos, searching the web for answers, or completing tasks using a multitude of apps. While our technology provides a wealth of information and can be extremely useful in certain situations, it can also be a black hole, pulling us deeper into dependency and depression.
How can we participate in social media without drowning in it?
First, Intentionality. We shouldn’t just post to post or post to receive any sort of affirmation or justification, but we should post with humility and intentionality. Social media can be a place to set you up for prideful posts, posting something to receive likes or comments and providing immediate gratification or affirmation of whatever it is that you are posting. But we are called to engage in social media with humility, posting intentionally and sharing our stories and experiences without expecting anything in return. Simply sharing because it is worth sharing. Intentionality also involves who you follow and what information you consume. One of the ways that I try to live this out is by following certain people or accounts. I have created a positive and authentic space by following certain people and inspirational or motivational accounts. If someone I am friends with starts posting negative or offensive content or flashy posts that make me jealous, I will unfollow or unfriend them because I know that it is not healthy for my overall well-being whenever I am using social media. You can create your own positive space and hide anything that is negative or offensive. There is a phrase “you become what you consume,” so if you surround yourself with good, intentional, and affirming content, you are more likely to feel uplifted, encouraged, and confident.
Second, Authenticity. What I mean by this is that we shouldn’t go overboard by posting every little detail about our lives, but we also shouldn’t present this “false self” either. If we’re all a little more authentic on our profiles, then we would realize that no single person has a “perfect” life, that everyone has different moments of joy and sorrow, of peace and anxiety. Often on social media, we only see the joy, peace, and extravagance, and it causes us to be jealous of others or sad with our own reality. We definitely don’t need a play by play of your life, but posting exciting news every once in awhile or sharing a few photos from a recent trip or adventure can be a great way to be authentic without being too flashy. Also, it is okay to post not so exciting news too. I know I’ve personally used social media as a prayer chain, calling upon my faithful and trusted prayer warriors to help spiritually support me through major tragic events in my life. Social media can be a source of connection if we are posting authentically.
Finally, Moderation. Our cellular device has become a permanent body part since we are rarely seen without it. We can choose to allow technology to be a part of our life that leads to deeper communion, but we also need to know when to unplug. If you are more devoted to social media than prayer, if it is keeping you up at night, if you can’t quit a conversation, if it’s making you angry or jealous, or if it’s keeping you from peace, then it might be time to reevaluate your social media usage. Limiting your screen time is a way to prevent attachment to social media. Some phones have a feature which explains your app usage and how many times you click on the app during the day. If you find yourself using a particular app too much or that it is dominating your life, delete it from your home screen, which will make it more challenging to find it to open it. You can also delete it altogether. Another idea I heard recently is to grayscale your phone, which means cutting out all of the color in your phone and turning everything into a range of shades from black to white. By doing this, your apps and the content within them don’t look as attractive, so you won’t be as tempted to open them and spend a lot of time on them. Or, if you are obsessive like me, you can also disable your push notifications so you aren’t tempted to look at them right away to clear them from your unread notification list. Find what works best for YOU based on your own temptations and tendencies.
Pope Francis once said, “It is not technology which determines whether or not communication is authentic, but rather the human heart and our capacity to use wisely the means at our disposal. Communication, wherever and however it takes place, has opened up broader horizons for many people. This is a gift of God which involves a great responsibility. Social networks can facilitate relationships and promote the good of society, but they can also lead to further polarization and division between individuals and groups. The digital world is a public square, a meeting-place where we can either encourage or demean one another, engage in a meaningful discussion or unfair attacks. The internet can be used wisely to build a society which is healthy and open to sharing.” So may we persevere with intentionality, authenticity, and moderation, as we strive to connect with others and spread the joy of the Gospel throughout the world wide web.
