Social Media & Other Forms of Entertainment

One of the best ways to learn about others is by asking questions like these:

  1. What do you value above all?

  2. What is the biggest problem facing humanity?

  3. What is the solution to that problem?

  4. How do you know the difference between right and wrong?

  5. What is your purpose in life?

Questions like these define the heart of our worldview, which is the way we define reality and live within the world. While these questions are critically important, I also ask questions that help us evaluate specific areas of our lives, like these:

  1. What role does social media (such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or otherwise) play in your life?

  2. In what other ways do you seek entertainment (including movies, TV shows, and music)?

The resources below seek to integrate how we answer all seven of these questions, making connections between how we spend our time, how that reflects our values, and how that relates to God.

*Plugged In: A ministry of Focus on the Family, this website reviews movies, TV shows, music, games, and books. For example, for a given movie the reviewer will outline the positive elements, spiritual content, sexual content, violent content, crude or profane language, drug and alcohol content, and/or other negative elements. Use the site to keep your finger on the pulse of culture and to help you make decisions regarding how you and your children seek entertainment.

*12 Ways Your Phone Is Changing You by Tony Reinke (2): The title of this book focuses on your phone, but the content of the book is equally applicable to other devices, such as desktop computers and tablets, that provide access to the web. The author does much more than simply warn us. He also outlines a way forward where we minimize unnecessary distractions, seek our ultimate approval from God himself, and treasure Jesus Christ.

Competing Spectacles by Tony Reinke (2): This book analyzes our visual culture and encourages us to consider how and why we participate. Tragically, Reinke argues, we are bored with Jesus himself, his Word, and his will for our lives. And so Reinke encourages us to turn from worthless things and endless distractions and to turn to God.

The Tech-Wise Family by Andy Crouch (2): The author outlines practical steps for, in the words of the subtitle of the book, “putting technology in its proper place.” At the heart of the book, Crouch offers ten tech-wise commitments for families, which bring us back to valuing God above all and people more than our devices.

Plugged In by Daniel Strange (3): Not to be confused with the website listed above, this book analyzes culture from the perspective of what we watch, read, and play. He defines culture as “the stories we tell that express meaning about the world” (p. 23). Instead of aligning ourselves with the story of self-centered disobedience to God, Strange calls us to align ourselves with the God of the Bible, who both speaks and creates. Because God made us in his image, he calls us to speak, create, and live all life in a way that is pleasing to him.