Author Michael Crichton asserted in his 2004 novel State of Fear that global warming was created as a way to give people something new to fear as the cold war ended. Now you can agree with that or you can disagree, but it begs a question: Are the powers that be trying to manipulate the population by feeding us information that may or may not be true? I wouldn’t put it past them.
Consider Social Media
It really has become a vital part of life, hasn’t it? One could argue you’re consuming it right now, and if that’s the case, yes, I feel the irony, but it’s true. I use it to keep track of friends, make contacts for my ministry, find inspiration, promote my activities and causes, share my ideas and creations with the world and more. It’s a pretty important tool in my life. At the same time it can be a pretty substantial waste of time.
Doom-Scrolling
I’d love to tell you, I always use it for positive things and then walk away from it and get back to work, but that would be a lie. The truth is I will often end up doom scrolling reels, and get stuck in that for quite some time. I was alerted to this the other day by my wife. I was watching a reel about a “sovereign citizen” going to great lengths to keep from giving up their nonexistent driver’s license, and acting as if somehow the laws are for everyone but them. I was zig-zagging back and forth between irritation with the entitled jerk and asking the question aloud to the officer, “Doesn’t your taser work?” I was getting more and more irate, when my wife asked me the question, “What are you getting out of watching that?” I have to admit, she was right.
Is This a Real Representation of Real Life?
Look, I am painfully aware that people like this walk the earth, but is it the norm? Is this really what our police officers are facing every day, or do these videos appearing on social media just encourage more people to act this way, exacerbating the situation. For that matter, are there really that many “Karens” in the world (I hate that term by the way, most of the people named Karen I know are pretty great people) or do these videos create animosity between retail workers and the general public? And maybe that’s the question we need to ask. Is this reality or “entertainment,” and if it’s the latter, is there something wrong with me for being entertained by it?
Porch Pirates
I see these videos all the time of people picking up someone else’s packages and having them explode covering them with paint or colored dye designed to identify the culprit. I have to admit it is somewhat satisfying to see these ne’er-do-wells get their comeuppance, but is it real? Think about it. A lot of these things are AI generated. Some of these explosions are so large, that they would kill or seriously injure the person, which would create a much larger problem for the homeowner in question than just losing a package. And sooner or later seeing this stuff on social media, is going to inspire someone to take matters into their own hands, and yes, it will be a disaster.
Politics
I’ve heard it said that to understand politics, all you have to do is break the word down. Poly means many and tic[k]s are bloodsucking creatures, but I digress. Social media is never more antisocial than at election time. Social media can get people elected, and it can end political careers (should there be such a thing as a political career anyway?). What is more concerning is what happens around elections. We succeed in vilifying the other side, which does nothing but divide. It reminds me of the time I took my son to a professional wrestling match. The people in the stands were coming to blows over a scripted program in which the outcome was previously determined. In politics, we the people fight and divide and cancel, while our leaders carry out the agendas their supporters push them to promote.
Too often, it’s bad theater, but we play along because antisocial media told us to. The other side is an existential threat, full of communists and Nazis, and we wonder why the unhinged commit atrocities. It’s obvious.
Why Am I Seeing This?
I’m convinced we need to employ a little more critical thinking. Maybe we should start by asking the question, “Why am I seeing this?” Oh sure in some cases, we are seeing these things because a bystander just happened to whip out his phone and start recording, which begs another question we should probably ask, “Would I be better off turning the camera function off and use this device for it’s intended purpose, to call someone, in this case 9-1-1?” And yes some people have Ring doorbells, and sometimes the officer has his body cam on, but there are also a lot of times when these videos are staged for the benefit of riling up the audience for more clicks.
Some of these things are also just straight up dramatizations, sometimes the same person even playing all the parts. Their purpose is not to deceive but to entertain, and that’s fine as long as we realize, just like any show you watch on TV, they are emphasizing the worst case scenario and making it worse so you keep watching. It’s not (in most cases) reality. It’s entertainment, but too often we fall for it, hook, line and sinker.
Is It AI?
The truth is, I enjoy AI. I use it regularly to create things I could not create on my own and I have a lot of fun with it—but it’s also immensely scary. It can create really convincing things that never happened. I’m not so concerned with the fantastic.What concerns me is the plausible stuff. It’s the stuff that never happened, but could have, and many people see it and are convinced it’s true. The better this technology gets, the more concerning this becomes and the more discerning we must be.
Why Am I Seeing This, Dave?
About now you might be thinking this is unusual content for a column on creative arts ministry, and asking Why am I seeing this, Dave? Two reasons. First if you are a content creator, be careful what you create, and make sure people know fact from fiction in your work. Make sure what you create is honoring of the One who is the embodiment of truth. Sensationalizing things is a poor way to get your point across. Matthew 12:36 reminds us, “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak…” I believe this applies not just to the spoken word, but to all the messages we put out into the world.
What We Feed Grows. What We Starve Dies.
The other reason for this is even more simple. Every post we dignify with a response spreads. Sometimes it’s better to let these things wither on the vine, so to speak. Further, confirmation bias is a real thing, and the temptation is there to share things that support our points of view. Before we share we need to ask ourselves questions based on Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Does what you are about to share, meet this criteria? If not, don’t share it.
The Final Question
Did you notice in the midst that verse it says, “whatever is true?” That should be our final question. Is it true? If not, you know what to do, or maybe better stated, what not to do. The Bible reminds us, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” Whatever you do, don’t share something that is false, even if you think it might advance your agenda or even the Gospel. Doing the wrong thing for the right reason is still doing the wrong thing. And using something false to try to advance the gospel, is a sure way to make some people disbelieve the Gospel. Social media is neither good nor evil. It’s a tool that can be used for good or evil. How you use that tool is up to you, so don’t make social media antisocial. Instead, speak the truth in love.
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