Beat Social MediaSýnishorn

Social media is a time thief. I learned this term from a high school teacher of mine, and it stuck. Social media is like a skilled pickpocket that distracts you with wonderful things, only to steal every valuable item he can find.

When you go on social media, do you have a running clock in your mind? Do you keep track of how many posts you read or how many inches of your News Feed you’ve covered? If you do, that’s pretty amazing. I know I completely lose track of everything real in the world. 

This happens to me throughout the day, but I know I fall prey to it especially in the first hour after waking up. As I turn off my alarm, I’ll notice a notification or two. Before I know it, thirty minutes have passed and I am still lying in my bed, phone in hand, having done nothing and feeling more exhausted than ever.

I experimented with this recently. I resisted the temptation to pull out my phone and found myself feeling so much more energized, refreshed, and––to my surprise––motivated. It’s amazing what those first sixty minutes of your day will do. That time is so precious. 

This experimentation led to a realization––the mindless time I spend on my phone is replacing the mindful time I should have with God. Time with my King, Father, and Friend is far too valuable to hand it over to a time thief like social media.

What’s the big deal about a couple of minutes, though? So what if I spend an hour on my phone in the morning? I don’t believe it’s a sin to be on social media. The issue arises when we get sucked in––and it happens all too easily.

Scripture urges us to live our lives intentionally. Ephesians 5:15–17 is clear: “So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.”

We have so little time here on earth. How do you want to spend it? To be honest, I don’t know exactly where each moment will go. But I’d rather they didn’t slide into the hands of a time thief.