Social Media and God - The Common Factor

On October 4, 2021 I read a news article stating that, “Facebook executive says it's 'ludicrous' to blame Jan. 6 on social media.” Over the past few years, the entire social media like Twitter and other platforms have been blamed for every wrong thing that has been committed by people on these platforms. Ironically, when I see and hear such news, I wonder who is truly at fault? Is it these platforms or someone else? Are the media and the people looking for scapegoats instead of dealing with the real source? 

Being a business technologist myself, I have come to recognize that Facebook and every social media have created a powerful and technological genius platform, which has enabled people across the globe, in a fraction of a second, to engage with one another on their personal, emotional, spiritual, and social life, freely with no restrictions. People have the freedom to post anything, engage in any topic – religious, political, sexual, psychological, philosophical. People are also allowed to engage in monetizing their interaction on these social networks. Internet advertising is the new avenue for marketing products and services across the globe and billions of dollars are spent and gained in revenue for many people and companies.  

In the beginning, about two decades ago, nothing was restricted on these social media platforms, as global users operated within the boundaries of the platform. However, until recently these social media firms came under fire and were forced to set up guardrails to protect their users from other people/users who were abusing their internet freedom or their free will, to abuse, carry out evil schemes and manipulate others. This is when the social media users started accusing these social media firms of things that they did not do, that is, to prevent people’s bad behavior from affecting others negatively.

The irony is that instead of holding those people, who abused their free will, accountable for their actions the entire world is now finding fault with these social media firms. These social media users are now blaming their Creator. The funny thing is that these social media users would have never existed on these platforms if these social media creators had never created them. 

This social media crisis has reminded me of something very similar happening in the Bible. About 7000 years ago God too created a platform, called as the earth, where he too created users – the first man and the first woman, who were blessed to be fruitful and multiply. God created mankind in His image to be a blessing to God and to one another and do good. But mankind acted contrary from the beginning of time, to what God had created them to be. Mankind was given the the free will to do anything and be rulers on His platform, but just like the social media users on these social media platforms, here too man’s corrupt behavior started emanating.  Mankind misused there free will and chose evil over doing good, which brought about the generationally transferred inherent sin nature from their ancestors. Human beings began rebelling against their very Creator, just like the social media accusers. 

Looking at the state of this world, it is obvious that man has not changed and has remained corrupt, both to one another and to themselves.  The corruptness of man has not diminished with the passage of time. Just before the great flood and when God chose Noah to build an ark and cleansed this earth of all wickedness, he said in Genesis 6:5 (ESV) "The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually."

An interesting parallel and a common factor that I see here is that “man is in the center” in both these cases - man is corrupt both in this world and in the social media platform. 

In this world, mankind is still complaining as to how a loving God could have created so much suffering, pain, sickness and allow death to reign on this earth, but they seem to forget that it was an outcome of man’s free will choice, rather than God’s desire. 

It is the same wickedness of man that seems to be bringing in this social media crisis too. Ironically, both the social media firms and the social media users have mankind in them, who tend to extend their corrupt nature both in the organization and in these platforms. Now both are blaming each other for their own corrupt nature, and no one is looking at the root cause. It was man’s free choice to choose evil that has brought about this corruptness. All this accusation is only fixing the issue with a band-aid rather than deal with the real problem.  

What man still misses to see is his true nature. In both these cases, man is still blaming the Creator – as to why He created this social media environment or perhaps the Earth. They keep asking why this Creator gave them this free will. Could not man have been restricted from the start? 

So, coming back to our Facebook executive, I kind of agree with him that it is surely “ludicrous” to blame the Jan 6 incident on social medias, since everyone seems to forget the common factor, that is, man. Truly, man’s inherent corrupt nature is the real culprit. What we saw on Jan 6, 2020 was the true manifestation of the rebellious and wicked nature of man in the name of democracy, since man will violate any environment, they are given a free will. 

Alas, who can and who will redeem this fallen mankind? God did send his son, Jesus, 2000 years ago to save mankind. Mankind has continued to be in their rebellious nature and still rebels against every ordered structure or every good thing that either God has created or what may be developed by man, no matter how perfect it may be. 

Most likely the social media leaders will establish guardrails and support system to protect their platforms from and against man. This is only possible, when they will be restricting the free will of man to run amok with no restrictions. The outcome will be that man will have restricted will on these social platforms and at that time man will turn away to find another environment to exploit his/her free will and corrupt that environment too. 

However, this kind of restricted will will not happen within God’s environment, rather He will continue to offer man the free will. He is waiting for man to seek Him to be transformed. God has already dealt with the root cause of rebellion, that is, sin and death and will not be like the social media firms, since all they can do is an imperfect short term fix. Until His perfect time does not come, God will not start cleansing this environment from the wicked and rebellious. After which no one will have a second chance to correct their life on this earth. 

Jesus is coming back to restore all, but are you ready for His return? Alas, no one can be saved unless one does not accept Jesus Christ as one who redeemed man from his sin nature and death. This is the true and permanent fix to man's issue. Let’s not be foolish, like the ones who continue to accuse these social media accusers of their sins. Rather let’s get to the source and get right with God. So that we will can be saved forever both on this earth and the new one to come.