In 2004, police found a man near a dumpster at a Burger King in Georgia. The man was naked, sunburned, and unconscious. When he became alert, he could not tell the police who he was. He did not know his name, where he was from, or how he had gotten to the Burger King. The only thing he could remember was his birthdate. They admitted him to the hospital under the name “Burger King Doe.” Police and investigators tried to determine his identity. They put his picture on television and the internet. They listed him as a missing person. In fact, he was the only person the FBI ever listed as missing even though they knew where he was. Yet, no record of his identity could be discovered.
Finally, after eleven years, a genealogist sequenced his DNA and matched it with a family from Indiana. His name was William Burgess Powell. He was able to be
reconnected to his family. He had left home in 1976, so his family did not know what he looked like when his picture was put out by the media. On his Facebook page, he wrote,
“My identity has been found!” While we know our names and backgrounds, we often forget our identity in Christ because of social media. There are 3.7 billion social media users worldwide. Almost 89% of Generation Z Americans use some type of social media.
The average internet user has 7.6 social media accounts. You guys mentioned 11
different social media platforms you are using in our survey. In John 1:12, the Bible tells us we are children of God. We have been purchased and redeemed by Christ. How does social media cause us to forget that?
Point 1: We are tempted to use social media to find approval
Due to the instant feedback of social media platforms, it is easy for us to look for approval and validation through it. Many of us want glory, praise, and approval, and having immediate affirmation magnifies the issue. So, we seek admiration from one another, and we cultivate a desire for affirmation through social media platforms. We find approval in the responses of family members, friends, and strangers. Notifications are like a drug. Likes and retweets produce a dopamine response in the brain. A recent study, discovered that every time a picture, post, or comment was liked, the brain lit up in the areas that produced pleasure chemicals. The more responses we get, the more we seek it. We feel we constantly must get another fix, and we become enslaved to it. The high of social approval conditions us to seek the bursts of validation given by every like, retweet, or comment. This new mental conditioning means that our lives become more and more dependent on the social media approval of others.
It becomes easy to judge ourselves on the number of interactions, likes, and comments our posts receive. However, having numerous friends, followers, likes, and comments does not make us a better person. It does not make us a more accomplished person. Unfortunately, social media has become a barometer of self-worth because it tells
us exactly how popular and well-liked we are. It is tempting to believe the amount of likes and interactions determine if we belong.
Point 2: We are tempted to use social media to find identity
Due to the access of social media platforms, it is easy for us to look for
popularity and fame. Social media creates a celebrity culture where everyone wants to be known. It tempts us into achieving worldly significance with our immediate statistics. So, we use it for self-promotion. Many of us check our notifications constantly because we are more concerned with the applause of man than the affirmation of Jesus. We post on TikTok to go viral. We post on Instagram to make ourselves look good. We post on Twitter to get retweets. We are tempted to do all these actions to become popular.
However, these actions cause us to be fake, wear masks, or glamorize our lives to make them seem better or more interesting than they really are. To garner more interaction, some people are highly selective in representing themselves. Many of us only post successes on social media. The better the content, the more interactions. These posts create an environment where everyone feels as if they must look and act a certain way.
Tony Reinke stated, “What we think others think of us profoundly shapes our sense of identity and our search for belonging.” We, especially teenagers, want to fit in. In that search of that conformity, we try to stand out. Often, we attempt to fit a mold to meet the opinions of others because our search for individuality in the world is a pursuit for conformity with the world.
Point 3: Find security in Christ
Read John 1:12.You are a child of God. He designed you and created you. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. He purchased you and redeemed you. You are his special possession. Be secure in who He says you are. It is the only thing that matters. Our identity as Christians is in Jesus, not grades, not hobbies, not sports, not in a future career, not in friendships, not in dating relationships, and definitely not in our social media accounts. God did not design you to find significance in any other place besides His Son Jesus. Every one of us has a desire and a longing to be loved, to be accepted, to be wanted, and to belong, but you will not find that on the internet. Deep down all human beings want to be totally known and deeply loved. You are totally known and deeply loved by Christ. We are who Christ says we are, not our social media bios.
We should deprogram ourselves from seeking to be liked and seeking to be known. We cannot forsake justification in the gospel for seeking to be right in our followers' eyes. We cannot spend more time on social media than with Christ. While it gets continuous attention from us, the king of the universe is inviting us into His
presence. If you are looking for approval in the amount of interactions your post gets, if you crave becoming an online celebrity, if you are wanting popularity and are seeking it through self-promotion, I plead with you to stop. These emotions are caused by your fear of being unloved and unseen.
Validation does not come through delivering crowd-pleasing content. Stop trying to impress the virtual world with your bodies or your intellect. Vain glory will not satisfy the human heart, but it will intensify the craving for human praise. If you are seeking social media validation or popularity, then you might want to reevaluate your
time on social media. Avoid prideful tendencies and pursue humility. Do not be more concerned with the applause of man than the affirmation of Jesus. Seek to find your worth in Jesus and not the prideful feedback of social media.
Session Wrap-up
1. What is your reaction when you read the statistics about social media? Do you think those are accurate based on your experience?
2. How do teenagers seek approval through social media? List some examples.
3. Do you believe that social media has become a barometer for your self-worth?
Why or why not?
4. How do teenagers seek fame and popularity through social media. List some examples.
5. Often, our search for individuality is actually a pursuit of conformity. What does that mean?
6. What are ways you can deprogram yourself from seeking to be liked and to be known?
7. How does knowing you are a child of God change how you behave on social media?
Pursuing Holiness in the Face of Digital Temptation
Session 3: Approval and FameParticipant Worksheet