Submitted by Pastor Rodney Hopper, First Christian Church, Rock Port, Mo.
Staying connected with family and friends became so much easier with the tools created for social media such as Twitter, Snapchat and Facebook. Did you know there are numerous studies about Social Networking Addiction? An addiction usually refers to compulsive behavior that leads to negative effects. In most addictions, people feel compelled to do certain activities so often that they become a harmful habit, which then interferes with other important activities such as relationships, work or school.
Researchers at Chicago University concluded that social media addiction can be stronger than addiction to cigarettes and booze following an experiment in which they recorded the cravings of several hundred people for several weeks. Media cravings ranked ahead of cravings for cigarettes and alcohol. Sherry Turkle, a researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), has written extensively about the impact of social media on relationships, theorizing that they actually weaken human ties. In her book, Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other, she chronicles some of the negative impacts of constantly being connected by technology, which paradoxically can leave people feeling more alone. 1
Several high schools in the northwest area have even surveyed teenagers what was their priorities after school: sports, clubs, recreation, work, media, etc. Their overwhelming response was that the majority would rather be at home connected with social media. I know of several pastors even at the regional level that now have a “no electronics day” for their households. How many times have you planned an evening out with your family such as going out to eat and one or several of you were on your cell phones? Some parents, like many youth groups, are now leaving cell phones and iPads in a separate area until after you are through with your family or youth plans. Some parents limit the amount of time their children can spend using social media unless it is homework related.
Dare 2 Share Ministries has challenged the youth attending their conferences about the great things that you can use social media for, especially reaching friends and family to help them to connect with God. They also warn the youth how social media is not the best tool to promote social interaction and have put on skits to show what is healthy and what is not. What about your family? Have you learned you don’t need social media to connect with the Lord of the Universe? Dare 2 Share promotes what God wants, His plans for our life.
Just think, the God of the Universe longs for a personal relationship with you that’s available through Jesus’ work on the cross! How can you enter into this amazing new relationship with God? By placing your trust in Jesus alone to pay the price for your sin and open the doorway for you to receive the free gift of eternal life, a life in Christ that starts now and lasts forever. Romans 10:9-11 (ESV) “Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” Maybe we need to consider giving ourselves a “time out” like we do for our children if social media is more important than prayer.
(1 What Is Social Networking Addiction? by Leslie Walker August 28, 2018)