We are shaped and formed by our loves and affections. They inform what we think is important and what we value. As Augustine reminds us, our loves drive us toward a trajectory of worship.1 We worship what we love, and we live based on what we love. But, you and I know that because of the Fall, we have to be supernaturally directed by God to rightly order our worship and our loves.
If left to our flesh, we will always put self first. In the ongoing sanctification process, we have to daily submit ourselves to that which will drive us toward godliness. In the digital age in which we live, this has led to a discipleship crisis. Our lives, homes, and communities are constantly contending with outside influences, particularly online, that are transforming the way we see and respond to one another, often leading to chaos. Even Gov. Spencer Cox of Utah recently commented on the trouble we encounter in a social media world.
Technology is not neutral, and neither are the algorithms that personalize our social media experience. The information that we take in and share is curated and disseminated by algorithms that shape us into a particular kind of person, forming our loves and ultimately the way we see the world.
RaShan Frost, ERLC director of research
And we take in a lot of information. The average person spends 2 hours and 24 minutes a day on social media and uses an average of 6.6 different social media networks each month.[i] Conversely, the average Sunday church service lasts between one and two hours. In addition, just over one-third of U.S. adults read their Bible at least once a week.2
As Christians, we need to consider the impact that algorithms – designed to keep us online and engaged in social media – have on our spiritual formation, both individually and corporately, and our public witness as we share the Gospel.
The truth about social media algorithms and your heart
Algorithms are the programs that set the rules by which social media platforms prioritize, filter, and deliver content to users. These algorithms learn from the user’s behavior to present content that elicits the desired response from the platform. Algorithms evaluate the user’s likes, shares, comments, and the time spent on a particular piece of content. Based on the information gathered, the algorithms customize the user experience according to what the algorithms learn about the user. The goal is to keep the user engaged on the platform, but it is doing so much more.
Social media algorithms are designed to prioritize content that elicits strong emotional responses, especially negative emotions.4 Social media companies are businesses first and foremost, and their models are designed to keep people engaged so that they spend money on the customized ads that are implanted within the feeds.
Algorithms are crafted to keep people scrolling, even if they cultivate the worst behaviors in us.5 As fallen human beings, we tend to focus on and process what makes us angry and fearful, and as a result, our feeds and comment sections often resemble verbal boxing rings rather than a place where a healthy exchange of ideas occurs.
Read the full op-ed from RaShan Frost on Baptist Press.
1 Augustine’s view of the role of love and worship can be found in his books The City of God and Confessions.
2 https://www.searchenginejournal.com/social-media-statistics/480507/
