The Social Dilemma – A Wake Up Call
“Never before in history have 50 designers – 20–35-year-old white guys in California – made decisions that would have an impact on two billion people. Two billion people will have thoughts that they didn’t intend to have because a designer at Google said this is how notifications work on the screen that you wake up to every morning and we have a moral obligation as Google of solving this problem.”
— Tristan Harris, Former Google Design Ethicist; Co-Founder & President of The Center for Humane Technology
‘There’s this new documentary on Netflix about social media,’ my friend and colleague Helen told me as I came into the office on Monday. Honestly my first thought was, ‘Cool…but I probably won’t watch it.’ We don’t really watch a lot of documentaries – by the time we hit the sofa we just want to switch off. However this time was different and Netflix’s irritating, relentless playing-of-the-trailer-until-you-hit-play, worked.
The Social Dilemma is a terrifying wake up call for…well…anyone who has a pulse and a smartphone. It captures the designers of the Facebook ‘like’ button, the former president of Pinterest, former YouTube, Twitter, Google and Instagram employees all telling the story of their creations and the moral dilemma they faced as they watched the impact of their work on society.
The fundamental principle that we are formed by what we watch and give our attention to – that these things imprint on us and shape how we see this world – is something we have been exploring recently at both our School of Leadership for young adults and our conferences for teenagers.
Last year we heard from a 14-year-old girl who had attended a wellbeing seminar at our 2019 conference. She had been struggling with anxiety and pressure to keep up on social media with her peers, and it was impacting her sleep. She heard the simple advice to begin small and leave her phone out of her bedroom so it wasn’t the last thing she viewed at night and first thing she viewed in the morning. This had a dramatic effect and impacted her confidence, her sleep and her faith. But what was really surprising was the reaction from the room as she shared her story. She was speaking to a room full of adults of all ages and stages, and the response was a symphony of awkward coughs and glances. Our intimate relationships with our phones is not just an issue for young people but for all of us.
What I realised as I watched The Social Dilemma is that we are just scratching the surface. The researchers, creators and technical engineers featured tell the story of tools embedded within all the platforms we use for hours every day that are simultaneously impacting our mental health and undermining democracy. Even as I write this it sounds dry, factual and detached, but as I watched, I found myself weeping.
It wasn’t the statistics that moved me to tears. It was the fact that the 11-year-old girls behind the statistics were being formed, changed and discipled by a lie. It was my wake up call. It’s our wake up call. Not just because of the younger generation to follow us, but because we too have bought into that lie in our own lives and are creating a path for others to follow.
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
— Matthew 5:14–16
What can be a better hill than the internet? What better place to shine and get the message out to the greatest number of people? First we have to actually be light, be distinctive, be different. We have to recognise the darkness in order to shine out even brighter. Is the answer to boycott social media or is the answer to pummel social media with all the ‘light’ it can get? It’s probably neither, but maybe a bit of both.
Whatever you think, there are three vital steps every Christian should take as we Wake Up, Respond and Lead.
Wake Up
WATCH
We have to be aware.
It’s the frog in boiling water analogy. We don’t know there is a problem and so we just happily sit as the water gets hotter and hotter. But ask anyone who comes into our digital culture from the outside and they see the burning effect on our lives.
I challenge you to watch The Social Dilemma documentary.
Explore the website and discussion topics they have on their page – practical tools to begin to fight and resist this infiltration into our thoughts and decisions.
EXAMINE
All of the players in this documentary created the tech that they became addicted to. How much time do you think you spend on social media? Check the screen time report app on your phone which tells you, and see if it lines up with your expectation.
LISTEN
I have been listening to the This Cultural Moment podcast with John Mark Comer and Mark Sayers who discuss the same thing from a theological and discipleship standpoint. The Portland Sessions that were recorded at the Wildfires festival is a prophetic voice as it was recorded a couple of years ago but is exactly where we find ourselves now.
READ
Check out this article which offers a more scientific perspective:
Three Reasons Why You Shouldn't Check Your Smartphone Within One Hour Of Waking Up — Medium
Respond
ZOOM OUT
In the article above Jari Roomer suggests finding an alternative exercise to take the place of checking your phone. Before I utter the words ‘quiet time’, let me ask you a question: as you start the day, which would you rather form your thoughts – your emotions and your direction? Your Instagram account or Jesus Christ? The friends who will ‘like’ or ‘comment’ to tell you if your photo/story is worthy or interesting enough or the friend who died for you? The news headline which is updated on a minute-by-minute basis or the God who never changes and who is our rock, our fortress and our strength (Psalm 18)?
EXPERIMENT
It’s your choice. If you are unsure then test it. Try five days taking time to spend with God, read some of the Psalms or stories of Jesus. Worship, lead yourself to remember who he is and how much he loves you before you read or watch anything else. Then try five days hitting your phone and scrolling before you get out of bed.
When did you feel more anxious? When did you feel more confident or clear-headed? Also – when were you late and time got away with you?!
INVEST
At the end if this little experiment (and my hope would be that you would decide the first option!) write yourself a ‘rule of life’, like a promise to yourself and to God about how you will start and end your day. What patterns do you want to set that will prepare you for the day and also lead you to rest? Make it reachable, try it out for a couple of months and tell someone that you are doing it. This isn’t about living by rules, but it’s about recognising the pull of the other thing so this thing can win out. It’s about investing in the light when the pull of the dark is so strong.
Lead
SHARE
You will feel like you are going against the flow. You will feel like you are missing out. You are creating a new path for your life. If you can, don’t do this on your own. Partly because it’s hardest when you feel like you are the only one starting to do things differently, but also because others need to wake up to. It’s time to lead.
CHOOSE
Should I stay or should I go? It’s entirely up to you.
If you choose to stay on social media be intentional. Follow the steps suggested by The Social Dilemma, be accountable and be wise and be a different voice in this space to points to Jesus - whatever that looks like!
If you choose to go, then share your story with others. Start a revolution! Fill your time with more beautiful and fun things and see what happens! I would love to hear your story.
We’ll be spending time at our online Youth Worker Gatherings this term exploring the impact of social media on young people and how we can inspire them to exercise counter-cultural leadership in front of their peers. If you’re a youth or student worker, sign up for our next gathering now!