"At The Mercy Of The Algorithm"

I am eternally grateful for having come of age in a time before social media, and not just because I don’t want any of the kids from the youth group to make fun of my clothes. It’s one thing to fall into the trap of nostalgia and reflect on how much simpler things felt. It’s another to realize that every technological innovation has both an upside and a downside. Social media and the rise of a constant feed of information invading every device we own have given us access to people, places, and events like never before. But it has also caused irreparable damage to our society. 

Social media can be an excellent tool for disseminating one’s message globally and in one's local community. The irony is not lost on me that I am posting this commentary on social media. However, these public forums, owned by billion-dollar corporations, are seeking one thing and one thing only: to maintain our attention. Our attention is their opportunity for revenue. And it is here that I believe we, as Christians and especially as Church leaders, need to be on alert. 

The science of keeping a person’s attention online involves keeping them engaged with an endless feed of stories that tap into their emotional buttons. It means tugging at their heartstrings, making them angry, or evoking fear. The more we react, the more we click. And the more we click, the longer we stay engaged. Have you ever wondered why certain stories on the internet seem to find you, while others don't? Are you curious as to why you start scrolling through a social media feed and then suddenly look up and realize you’ve been at it for 30 minutes to an hour? That’s the algorithm, a tool designed to manipulate our attention. 

The reason this is so dangerous is that as each person scrolls their personal feed, they also get a personalized view of the world. Their view of a story or an event may be incomplete or downright wrong. But would they know? Individuals create content tailored to specific audiences. We find that factions of people form around their version of the story. There is no longer such a thing as facts or truth, just my interpretation of the set of facts I have received. 

"We find that factions of people form around their version of the story. There is no longer such a thing as facts or truth, just my interpretation of the set of facts I have received." 

Looking back at the last week and watching the world react to the killing of a popular political commentator, I was not at all surprised that there were as many interpretations of what happened as there are people. There can be no “going forward” without first going back and finding the kernel of truth hidden in the haystack of needles. What is most difficult to watch is that the Church, her clergy, and members are not immune to falling into the trap of the algorithm. 

One of the most vital elements of the Christian faith that drew me to learn more was the commitment to truth: theological truth, scientific truth, and moral truth. While we can debate what it means for something to be true in relation to our journey of faith, we believe that Jesus Christ Himself embodies the truth. We believe that the Word of God is true and contains all things necessary for salvation. Christians have worked as astronomers, geneticists, psychiatrists, physicists, and in various other fields due to their commitment to science and reason. If we are to continue claiming to be the Church, we need to reclaim our commitment to truth. That doesn’t mean that we own the truth. It means that we are willing to test what we see, hear, and feel as we continue this journey of faith. 

I encourage everyone to recognize that they might just be at the mercy of the algorithm, that the organism of social media might be trying to manipulate them. And when they recognize this, I pray that they will work to change what they view, what they click on, and what they consume. We cannot go back to a simpler time. We cannot turn back the clock and erase the technological advances that have transformed our society. But we can recommit ourselves to the truth. In this case, not swimming alone will be inviting others to swim against the current of society, against the waters of information. The alternative will be to go with the flow, and that has only led to being lost at sea.