Researchers estimate that on average people spend around two and a half hours a day on social media. Compare that with Barna’s research that the average Christian spends less than 30 minutes reading the Bible daily, and what you have is a discipleship problem.
With voices on social media getting louder, pastors and churches are finding their voices getting lost in the noise. How should Christians in general and pastors in particular think about discipling amid the proliferation of social media?
Before we answer this question, we first need to understand both the harmful design and the harmful content of social media.
The Design of Big Tech Platforms Is Harmful
Social media platforms aren’t neutral. They’re designed for addiction. Their business model is data extraction, where the service they provide is “free” because you as the user are the product. We pay with our time, attention, and data, which they then sell to advertisers for revenue. To generate more revenue, they need to sell more ads, and to sell more ads, they need to keep us as engaged as possible.
The most effective way they can keep people engaged is by using algorithms. Their algorithms are designed to feed us
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