10 Ways Social Media Has Changed Us in Ten Years

It’s hard to believe Facebook is ten years old this week. While some of us have been late adopters, all of us have been affected and influenced by social media. Here are ten ways:

1. Phones are no longer an optional accessory, but an absolute necessity. We’ve become so dependent on our cell phones that we feel a little naked and panicked when we realized we left our phone at home.

2. The smartphone has become the dominant portal to pornography. No more sneaking into the corner store to buy a magazine. No more sneaking onto mom and dad’s computer after they are asleep. Now anyone with a smart phone can access pornography, even between third and fourth period in school.

3. Grandparents are more connected than ever before. As our society has become more mobile, Facebook has been an incredible tool for extended family to stay connected. It’s no wonder that the fastest growing population on Facebook is older women.

4. Social media has forever changed how we measure popularity and influence. Popularity now has a firm number to it: how many friends to you have on Facebook? How many people follow you on Twitter? How many ‘likes’ did your last post get on Instagram?

5. Social media has enabled us to build friendships that span geographical borders. Social media has shrunk the size of our world and enabled us to befriend people from all over the world.

6. Social media has inflated our egos to where we think the world really cares what we’re doing on Tuesday at 5:43 pm. When we pull into Applebee’s for a quick bite to eat, we record that moment for the digital world because we’re convinced that somewhere, someone cares about what we’re doing.

7. Social media has degraded our ability to have interpersonal relationships. The advancement in technology has reduced our need for face-to-face conversations and has therefore degraded our interpersonal skills. Unfortunately, success still depends on how well you can interact with people.

8. Our kids will never know what it’s like to simply ‘sit in the car.’ No more staring dully out the window for hours on end. Even if it’s a quick five minute trip to the store, they need electronic stimulation or they feel like they’re going to explode from boredom.

9. Social media can broadcast truth in ways you’d never expect. Social media doesn’t have to be all bad. Many utilize social media to encourage, uplift and spread the gospel. With social media, you have a platform to influence people literally all around the world. (If you’re reading this post, it very well may be that you saw a link to this post on social media).

10. Social media makes community in church even that much more vital. We’re created for community. We’re built for relationships. As society strips those away from us, it actually magnifies our need for true community. That’s where the church can find an incredible inroad into society in the years to come. If the church can offer true community, you won’t be able to keep people away.

DISCLAIMER: For better or for worse, social media is here to stay. You can complain all you want, but it’s not going anywhere. My suggestion? Harness it, leverage it. I know I will.