The Social Dilemma: Regaining Control of Your Attention
A practical Christian study of “The Social Dilemma: Regaining Control of Your Attention,” with clear application for faith, relationships, and everyday life.
The Social Dilemma
Play the original Excel Still More episode here without leaving the article.
The principle
When it comes to cell phone usage or internet dependency, there are many good things, and we need to talk about those, but it presents a bit of a quandary because there are negatives very closely related to the benefits. We will explore that today, and then I am saving a few minutes at the end to tell you about some changes that I have made, some changes that my family has committed to to make social media usage, computer usage less of a dilemma, less of a conflict, and more of a blessing because it has been relegated to a smaller role so that we can use it for its benefits and not be captured by its traps.
It's largely about the monetization of social media, things like Google search, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, all of that.
The deeper lesson
They want you deadheaded, staring, consuming, lost in it, having visual imprints continually programmed into your subconscious so that they can make a buck. I'm sorry if there was more of that than you wanted, but that's the heavy-handed implications of the social dilemma as seen on Netflix.
I will say that as a Christian, you and me both ought to be thinking about some of the things that Jesus said when he talked about what you look at with your eye enters your soul and fills you up and comes flooding out in the way you live and the words that you say.
What it changes
Somebody says, Nope, cell phones, computers, social media, they'll never be strong enough because I have God on my side. It sounds like somebody standing on the end of a pier with a deep lake beneath them, putting a straight jacket on, having it bound tightly, and then jumping off into the water saying, God will save me.
No matter how deep the water, no matter how bound I be by this jacket, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, and God will show me the way.
Live it today
With Apple devices, you actually have a feature called screen time where you can limit that. Make decisions with your kids on how much time a day they should use watching Disney Plus, get them to agree and understand, and then hold them to it.
Facebook, YouTube, Disney Plus, but we will have it relegated to a small portion of our lives over which we have complete control, eliminating the anxiety of the social dilemma.
Take the idea with you.
- 01Where do I see the problem or opportunity described in “The Social Dilemma: Regaining Control of Your Attention” in my own life?
- 02What Scripture or spiritual principle in this study most needs my attention?
- 03What one specific change can I make this week to put this teaching into practice?
Prefer listening?
The original episode player is available near the top of this article, so you can listen without leaving the page.