Problem with social media

Did you try to get on Facebook Monday and have difficulty? I was busy most of the day, but I checked my Facebook page a few times unsuccessfully. This blackout was suspicious because of the timing. The day before, Frances Haugen, a whistleblower from the company had been interviewed on "60 Minutes." She exposed several concerns that everyone, especially people of faith should consider.

The main observation is that people respond more strongly to anger, so much of what is shown on Facebook is engineered to illicit that response. People spend more time on Facebook when they are upset or arguing than when they are looking at pictures of someone's dinner or vacation. Time is money. The more time we spend on Facebook, the more money the company makes.

Have you ever felt as though the time you spend on social media has become a vice? I visited some friends this summer and, in the evenings, everyone sat and stared at their phones with little to no conversation. My host was following the NBA playoffs and flipping channels to watch the game and coverage of the Olympic trials. However, not even television could compete with social media for our attention.

Many families choose to put their phones away for a set amount of family time. More disciplined families schedule screentime for technology instead of time away from technology. There is one main company that dominates our thought life. Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp are all owned by that company. Quitting these applications is not as simple as it would seem.

My wife and I have family in Europe. WhatsApp is a wonderful tool for communicating with them and has replaced Skype for us. Instagram is often a visual escape from Facebook where people share photos of their perfect lives and worldly possessions. If you are like me, there are some family members I would have zero contact with if we were not connected through Facebook. I have often thought about dropping my account or doing a couple's account with my wife. Our church uses Facebook's livestreaming software to broadcast our worship services, so I feel that I cannot disconnect.

As a pastor, I understand how our personal opinions and professional lives can become a problem on social media. It is frightening that employers would fire employees for expressing their beliefs and opinions. At the same time, when someone wears a uniform, or speaks in an official capacity, that person is held to a higher standard. We are all in the process of learning etiquette, and it is unfair that a screenshot from something said years ago could destroy a person's reputation.

While many of us intuitively believe that social media can be harmful to our mental and spiritual health, we were not aware of Facebook's internal studies. Instead of taking the information and modifying their approach for the general good of society, they chose to do what was most profitable for the company.

NPR reports: "The internal research Haugen shared with the press, members of Congress and federal regulators has plunged Facebook into its biggest crisis in years. She leaked a trove of internal research and communications showing the company was aware of the ills of its platforms, including the toxic risks of Instagram to some teenage girls' mental health and the prevalence of drug cartels and human traffickers on its apps. That information formed the basis of a blockbuster investigative series by The Wall Street Journal and have fueled anger and investigations in Washington."

It is up to us to guard our hearts and minds from things that can harm us. However, those who facilitate evil will held accountable, if not in this life, in the Judgment. The Bible speaks to the things I have written about in this column.

1 John 2:16, "For all that is in the world -- the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life -- is not from the Father but is from the world."

And Matthew 12:36, "I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak."