Hunter Baker: I have to begin by saying that I was an early adapter on social media (and on blogging before that). There is little doubt that working with those platforms advanced my career and increased the opportunities I have had.
In addition, I want to acknowledge that I have made many excellent friends through social media. One of the joys of traveling so much over the past decade has been that I have been able to turn many “virtual” relationships into the embodied version.
However, I do think social media is partly responsible for the low quality of our public discourse. When our options for media consumption were limited (a handful of television channels, a few major networks, your big city newspaper) there was a tendency for opinion to naturally cohere more toward the center or toward some (maybe artificial) consensus. With the radical decentralization of media (from broadcasting to narrowcasting), we have made it possible for just about everyone to find the sources of news and opinion that appeal primarily to them.
The problem with that development is that you hear a lot of things that confirm your opinions and very little that challenges it. In any case, we all know it is unpleasant to be challenged or contradicted. Now, we can avoid it. However, the result may be that our opinions become more adamantine over time. And we may project those opinions much more forcefully.
There is a sense in which this situation is good. After all, it will be much harder for a future government to control citizen access to opinion and information. I clearly recall being a graduate student watching a primitive chat session taking place in the computer lab at the University of Georgia. Stealing glances, I could see the guy next to me was in an online conversation about the resurrection of Christ. At the time, not so long after the conclusion of the Cold War, I thought happily that never again would a totalitarian government be able to shut down the sharing of the gospel.
But as with any freedom, the key lies in our virtue. If we conduct ourselves virtuously, then our great freedom will have highly positive effects as principled debate flourishes. But if we are not virtuous, if we engage in demonization, propaganda, character assassination, dehumanization and credulous spreading of doubtful information, then the result will be a damaging, chaotic, cacophony of voices. I fear we are seeing far less virtue in the world of social media than we might have hoped to see. And I am afraid that includes Christians.
Owen Strachan: Social media is a rumbustious, surging, turbulent phenomenon. It has fundamentally destabilized both culture and society. Presidential candidates can win elections off of its back; news media coverage of events regularly depends on it; ordinary people often feel more comfortable interacting on it than in face-to-face conversation; entire careers, carefully curated and seemingly boasting fortress-grade protection from controversy, collapse in a matter of hours due to digital revelations and accusations.
As a theologian and watcher of culture, I see both good and bad in this maelstrom. For example, I am thankful that social media allowed long-silenced women to raise awareness of their suffering at the hands of evil men. These men sowed to the wind, and reaped the whirlwind. Long may it thunder. Additionally, it is great for makers and leaders to be able to engage directly those who appreciate their ideas and efforts. You can now build an entire vocation off of your laptop, provided people find you stimulating. In an age when self-professed revolutionaries are often Orwellian functionaries, social media has opened a lane for genuine free-thinkers. Someone like Ben Shapiro defies all the traditional rules and has emerged as the leading young conservative of his generation, as one example. He has a strong pedigree, but his influence is built largely off of YouTube debates, his own podcast and his fiery pen.
Social media is marvelous for the spread and discussion of ideas—at least it can be helpful in these respects. With many others, I’m in this to see Christ increase, and me decrease (John 3:30). That is why I use various platforms—Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and what Bill Belichick called “Snapface.” I’m thrilled with how many pastors, theologians and God-exalting Christians strive to honor God with online platforms. I’m regularly edified by what I see shared and promoted. Praise God for that.
