Amid Mark Zuckerberg’s reforms to free speech on Facebook, Chris Witherall explores what the Church’s own strategy to transform the digital landscape should look like.
I’ve been caught in two minds recently. It’s about the internet. I think I’m getting off it.
I’m trying to make sense of this, because I see the good in it. The internet allows me to see friends in Australia; watch Frasier reruns; research virtually any subject; buy obscure Finnish candy, and obsess over shih tzus. When I’m lost in London (a now boring inevitability), Google Maps saves the day. When I’m fed up, YouTube is an endless source of high and low brow entertainment. Should I ever stumble upon a major disaster involving a camel, a hosepipe and six watermelons; even then I feel confident in the power of the internet to provide an adequate solution.
It’s hard to deny its life altering impact - even for those who can’t access it. It’s a modern miracle which has revolutionised the world. But there are downsides. The internet has opened new avenues for bullying, stalking, and other criminal activity; and misinformation runs rife. It’s addictive - often intentionally - with social media companies employing numerous tricks to keep us scrolling. The thing that I’m finding hardest right now, is how divisive it can be (ironic for an invention called ‘the world wide web’). I’d like to take a closer look at this, and consider what the Church might do to help.
Viral campaigns, hive minds and echo chambers
The internet has facilitated important discussion in recent years; particularly around racial and gender equality, and anti-war movements. The last decade has seen seminal moments such as ‘#MeToo’, ‘Black Lives Matter’ and more recently, online protest against the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It has also hosted rigorous discussion around the Israel/Palestine conflict. And yet something feels off. Soon after the advent of the #MeToo and Black Lives Matter movements, pushback arose under banners such as ‘#notallmen’ and ‘#alllivesmatter’. When Russia invaded Ukraine, many questioned NATO’s role in the escalating conflict; and Israel’s recent actions in Gaza seem to stir all kinds of difficult emotions. Conversation around these subjects often feels messy and unproductive.
This is further seen in the contentiousness often surrounding JK Rowling; particularly from some trans-rights activists and subsections of the feminist community. I could get increasingly specific here, but I don’t want to touch too many nerves with this article - I’m sure many of us have our own particular bugbears. From edgy columnists, to interminable influencers; cantankerous comment sections, to antagonistic sports fans - it seems there’s an axe to grind in most corners of the online world.
The internet feels increasingly polarised and tribal - a fertile ground for cancel culture, mass outrage, and populism. In certain areas blame, shame, vitriol, and dogma all feel increasingly commonplace. Parts of this expansive, progressive, modern medium can sometimes feel like a regular old paranoid small town of witch hunts and ostracisation.
A digital Salem, if you will.
It can be hard to remember the humanness of a person that you can’t see.
What gets in the way?
It seems to me that we’ll only make progress through such battle lines if we remember how to listen deeply to each other - without prejudice, or agenda. If that’s true, what hinders us? Perhaps a few things.
1. Algorithms, bots and trolls
Search engines and social media platforms tailor their content to our individual web usage. In this sense, the internet shows us each a different reality designed to push our buttons and prompt our engagement. Automated bots and human trolls further complicate things; making it very hard to know who’s sincere, and who’s there to stir trouble.
2. Cultural and language difference
It’s hard to have a conversation about the same thing, at the same time. In online discussion, we’re often separated by language, dialect, culture, and generational difference. This is true even within the United Kingdom, where asking for a ‘small cake’ in London is akin to asking for a ‘wee bun’ in Belfast. It’s easy to talk past each other in these circumstances.
3. It’s hard to build trust
There’s a disconnect inherent in online conversation. We can’t see the whites of a person’s eyes when they’re writing in a room a thousand miles away. It’s easy to read opinions as personal attacks, or to perceive honest questions as invalidation. It can be hard to remember the humanness of a person that you can’t see. Real-world relationships foster intimacy, softening the presumption of bad intentions.The online space lacks this. It lacks accountability too. Anonymity allows offensive speech to flourish; and petrol is poured onto the bonfire (reminiscent of James 3:6).
What can we do about it?
I feel that Christians have an exciting opportunity to help foster healthier online conversation. Here’s how we might start.
1. We can put God at the centre of life
God is relational in nature: the three persons of the Trinity live in selfless relationship with each other. Jesus extended this example to us, calling us to share in his example of humility and service. He is the way, the truth and the life; where our own perspectives are flawed and biased. The most important truth we know is Christ and Christ crucified. This knowledge can inspire us to set a different tone in our contribution to big conversations - not seeking to dominate, but seeking the good of others.
2. We can remember God’s love for us
God loves us, cares for us, and sees us. This is true whether someone agrees with us or not. Jesus didn’t justify himself, and we don’t have to either. When we’re misunderstood, he understands; and he accepts us just as we are. We can therefore speak calmly and peacefully, knowing that God will one day set things right, and that his truth will stand in the end.
3. We can remember our limits
God is God. We’re not responsible for policing the views of others; or pushing an opinion as fact. We’re not responsible for the thoughts or actions of others, only our own. We’re called to steward over what we choose to engage with. Through spending time with God, we can become like those who ‘have trained themselves to discern good from evil’; and our speech will overflow with good things.
“The truth is like a lion, you don’t have to defend it. Let it loose; it will defend itself.”
4. We can remember who the enemy isn’t
All human beings are made in the image of God; whether they agree with our perspective or not. We might playfully modernise Paul’s words, reminding ourselves that our battle is not against flesh and blood, or an online stranger called Steve.
5. We can honour the biblical call to community
A recent article published by BBC News, stated that ‘Andrew Tate [and other influencers] are driving misogyny in young men.’ A biblical view of community gives us other ideas to contribute. Young men have long been understood to lack father figures, mentors, coaches and other significant relationships. Relationship sits at the heart of human life. We’re built for it. It’s fundamental. Young men don’t have to be influenced by online strangers like Tate. If young men have good, godly, real-world community around them, then misogynistic online influencers will - I think - become less relevant. This is one example of a wider truth: the internet simply falls short of real-world community. This is where the Church can play a vital role in society at large. Are we rising to the occasion?
Act Justly, Love Mercy, Walk Humbly
An important question lingers in the background of this article. Aren’t Christians supposed to challenge injustice; and speak up for the poor and the downtrodden? Yes. We are.
The problem with many online conversations is that we can become ‘authors of confusion’; spreading hurt, anger, dubious argument and hazy statistics. Sin will always disrupt our relationships in this life, but by rooting ourselves in an authentic relationship with Christ, we can help to raise the standard of online conversation - and conversation in general. We can seek to overcome evil with good. Now more than ever, we ought to be intentional about building organic relationships inside and outside the church, so that important conversations happen within genuine human connection. If we use our words wisely, we can move away from fights and alienation; and closer to God and each other. Speaking the truth in love is vital, but the need to ‘prove a point’ can slide us towards domination and conquest.
Sometimes it’s more important to live by Augustine’s words: “The truth is like a lion, you don’t have to defend it. Let it loose; it will defend itself.”
If we know this, we’ll be freer to have God-centered, constructive conversations that make the world - and the internet - a better place to be.
No comments yet