Let’s Chat with the Pulse Team About Social Media

In our first article on social media, we asked the question: is social media a toxic wasteland or a relational necessity? With social media use on the rise, and the increasingly convincing evidence of its detrimental effects on mental health, we’ve decided to commit some time this year discussing its effect (good and bad) on our lives. In this article, I have interviewed my colleagues in the Synod Pulse team and asked them to respond to a few prompts about their own relationship with social media. This seemed important to do because, as a self-proclaimed social media avoider, I recognise there is a range of opinions and not everyone will quite have the negative bias towards it that I often espouse. That said, I have included my own responses to the prompts as well. 

Included in the interview is:

• Jo – a proud Gen X and our team manager who firmly believes she is tech savvy, but not as tech dependent as the rest of us;
• James – our resident Pulse social media influencer (sorry in advance for calling you that James!) who has both spiritual and fitness personas online;
• Ofa – our very nearly almost Gen Zer who has a secret twitter account none of us know about;
• and Dave (that’s me!) who’s favourite place to live online is Substack (read into that what you will).

Q: So, to get the ball rolling… in general, do you think social media has had a 'net good' or 'net bad' effect on society?

Jo: Like so much of life, there is no absolute good or bad, rather it comes down to the choices of the user, the consumer and the ‘commentator.’ Social media can reach a very broad audience with a message that can impact change in society. It can connect isolated people, having a positive impact, but it also has potential for enormous damage.

James: ‘Net good’ or ‘net bad’ is hard to answer. There is a sense of connection across the platforms and community, belonging in far flung margins: physical and social, a place for everyone. I guess determining ones’ balance of online verse offline participation in life is like any other thing, action, habit, and so on.

Ofa: It’s hard to quantify it directly as 'net good' or 'net bad'. It has given the ability for people to connect over distance. We have easier access to local and global news. People find communities online that they may not find locally i.e. gaming  or hobby communities (One Piece for me... I don't know anyone irl who is watching it... sad life). But it also affects mental health, there is a pressure to present a perfect life or perfect self on social media. Some people take advantage of the anonymity/hiding behind a screen to cyberbully others and spread hate speech. The platforms can exacerbate the worst of us.

Dave: Surprise surprise, I think the effect has been ‘net bad’ overall. Don't get me wrong, it has major upsides... they have just been overwhelmed by the negative in my opinion. Studies are showing the algorithms have learned if they make us more anxious, depressed, and angry, we spend more time on the platforms which equals more ads viewed which equals more $$ for social companies. Social media at it's best could leverage this same technology for our good, if we could demand change.

Q: What does your typical use of social media look like? How has it changed over the years?

Jo: I find myself on social media more and more. A quick flick here and there. I am probably more dependent on it. I think it is shortening my attention span, sometimes overriding what could be more constructive time and brain usage. I have just decided to ‘fast’ social media for a week, let’s see how that goes!

James: I keep up with friends all over the world through Messenger and Instagram. I use Instagram as well for fitness and ministry connections. I've engaged widely in the past, trying to get as many accounts and likes as possible and all that... I've shifted now to a more direct focus on the things I want to have in my feed and excluding the people and products that's not ‘on brand’ haha!

Ofa: I started off on Bebo, connecting with friends in early high school. Then Facebook, Insta, Twitter and Tumblr. Facebook was and still is the platform where I mostly connect with family and friends, and more recently with colleagues. Twitter (and I shall call it twitter until the platform no longer exists) is my personal space platform, only close friends know of my account and it's where I post and repost freely. I don't use Insta as much anymore because I felt pushed to present myself in an unrealistic way there. I'm not on Tumblr anymore but it introduced me to the wider scope of social justice movements and helped shape how I navigate my opinions online these days. Wild! I miss the glory days of Tumblr.

Dave: I was also introduced to the world of socials through Bebo! Oh the wild ride of fluro green writing on hot pink walls with custom theme songs and limited hearts to give a day (the social hierarchy was intense!). That quickly evolved into Facebook, Instagram, and... Then the great unravelling - in 2020 I quit Facebook, 2021 I deleted all my posts on Insta and reset the account before eventually disengaging with it almost entirely from 2022 onwards. I’ve since tried different things but mostly find life without socials has been a good thing for me. These days I spend a lot of time on Substack though, I don’t really know how to describe it but I get a lot of value there. Maybe it’s the best of Tumblr in some weird hybrid with blogging and podcasting?

Q: How has social media affected you (good and bad)? How do you deal with/relate to these changes?

Jo: I’m a Gen Xer so I am ‘tech savvy but not dependant’, apparently. It demands more of my time as it’s conveniently located at the end of my hand most of my waking hours via my phone that I am increasingly attached to for so many aspects of life.

James: Both good and... Balance is important, recognising what is real and reminding myself that everyone like me puts the best photo, the best statement and filter both what is said and shown. The fitness industry and the holy industry have a lot in common. Both are trying to sell an unattainable, often varnished and filtered approach to living. When you drill down and get to know the influences on either side you realise the work that goes into putting that photo, that image and that profile in public light. 

Ofa: I’ve learned not to absorb a lot of the hate online that I come across, especially with so many tragedies happening everywhere and how people can react to them. It used to take a massive toll on me emotionally and mentally. I’ve learnt how to advocate for things I believe on online platforms and how to translate it into irl action. The biggest blessing is staying in touch with family and friends overseas. I have also found some really great friends online and some great communities that I am still a part of.

Dave: I find in most things in life I tend to be a bit of an intense personality. I can be really, really all in on something, but I don’t usually have a half way point or a half pace point. I think I’m maturing slowly and know that has its upsides and downsides. For social media, it meant when I was doing it, it was a bit of an obsession. I was building pages for multiple reasons (religious and personal), and some were gaining some pretty serious traction online. What it came down to for me was that I didn’t love who I was when this was such a big part of my life. 

Q: How do you stay safe on social media? Do you have thoughts on what it means to keep young people safe while on social media?

Jo: I stay safe by posting less and less. I think kids are super vulnerable because it is a secret space that parents, leaders and mentors can’t see to guide and give advice about.

James: When I think about safe I have to ask myself where my boundaries are. And where are there some crossings, or where are there violations. There are really clear things that cross those boundaries and then there are slow and steady ones that get us into trouble. I'm not just talking about porn, yes and... body image, food, news, unachievable financial/ life / organisational ideals. They all eventually can reach an unsafe space for us. My hope for everyone and young people is that we can create a world and life online and offline where their need for love and belonging can be met. Where when mistakes are made or boundaries crossed there's a bank of resilience and people, a community and some awareness that they, we are already enough and essentially at the core ... loved.

Ofa: I curate my timeline/feeds. I follow people I know or artists that I like and don’t stray from my lane. I don’t accept requests if I don’t know a person. When people I don’t know message me, I tend to ignore them unless it seems vital not to. I don’t post locations much anymore, but if I do, its long after I’ve left the location I’m posting about. There needs to be a better accountability system in place that minimises peoples urge to hide behind online anonymity. Outside of teaching kids and young people measures they should take to stay safe online, there will always be people online who will make it an unsafe place, from cyberbullying to predators. Better accountability systems should help in tracing accounts that harass, bully, prey on people.

 Dave: My social accounts are severely limited these days, but I find even just in online spaces that can be social – including news sites etc. – being careful of not idly scrolling for hours or doom scrolling is really important for mental health. Setting time-limits etc. Also seeking to hear from a wider audience than just the echo chamber of people who look and think like me – that builds tolerance and understanding to be able to create safe spaces. For young people, I think we adults need to lead by example. We can’t tell them to do things we’re not prepared to do ourselves. And there needs to be far more open dialogue…

Q: Finally, where do you see God in this Conversation?

Jo: I’m still thinking on that one…

James: Oh, everywhere and nowhere. It's at our core we wish to be connected and in community, it's our design. Like Babel we always want to control and grow that tower the highest, and at times can achieve short and sharp and often shallow interactions. When, the connections are made and kept, communities formed to build a person up, and where they can choose their family, friends and so on when they might not fit where they landed, I see God. I see God as well in the gym perfectionist, and some of the most holy people too, although I have to look a bit harder, I know that at their core is a need to be loved and belong too. And I hear the scratching of the spirit in the chaos of creativity and space that the online in balance with the offline lives create.

Ofa: God is present offline and online. Online we communicate and build communities with other humans, creations of God. Horrible things happen online, just as it does offline, and God is among us as we make the decisions we do online. Similarly, beautiful things happen online, just as it does offline, and God is among us as we experience the good and great and wonderful things of life.

 Dave: It’s funny that somehow this is one of the more difficult questions to answer. I have experienced personal spiritual growth through some of the accounts and connections on social media. I’ve also seen the major downfall of some Christian influencers and churches as lived out on social media. It is a place where I think God works best in the margins – but maybe that is always where God works best. In comments and DM’s I have been involved in some of the most meaningful discipleship moments of my life. The first person I ever shared my faith with was a friend in long chats over Facebook messenger at the age of 13 or so… The Spirit used that space to draw that friend to God and they were baptised as a result a couple months into our chats.

 

We’d love to include your thoughts, reactions, and responses to this topic.

Feel free to reach out to davidto@nswact.uca.org.au.

Where do you see God in this Conversation? Oh, everywhere and nowhere. It's at our core, we wish to be connected and in community, it's our design.