(Image from wired.co.uk)

What makes social media so addicting? What makes Facebook or Instagram or Blogs so addicting? I think one reason social media is so addicting is because it gives us the ability to recreate our world through cyberspace. In Tim Chester's Will You Be My Facebook Friend?, he argues that social media is addicting because we can recreate our own images, concept of space, and identity. In the online world, we can post pictures of us that are photo-shopped or edited by our phones. Moreover, we can come to a "space" where all our "friends" are there and see what they are up to. Chester writes, "What we cannot do in physical space, we can do in cyberspace: bring everyone together in one place." He also writes dealing with the topic of identity affirmation, "On Facebook I receive approval and I bestow approval. The result is that many people constantly check their Facebook page because this is where they receive affirmation." Isn't this so true? The "Likes" button are so addicting when we post a update or a picture. We want to see who "heart's" our pictures on Instagram. We want to see who comments on our blogs. Although there is nothing inherently wrong with "likes", "hearts", or comments, the real issue is what is going on in my heart. Why do I have narcissistic tendencies to see who "likes" my post or comment? Could it be that I am looking for self-affirmation. Could it be that my heart longs for self-approval? Could it be that I am longing for self-recognition? To me, it sounds it bit like Genesis 3 where Adam and Eve rejected God's Word because they desired to be like God as the Serpent tempted them to disobey Him. Instead of finding their identity in the One who created them, they sought out independence from their Creator which brought the curse of sin into the world. Social media is one avenue where we can seek self-affirmation, self-approval, and self-recognition. Social media is also one avenue where we can seek to be our own gods or commit idolatry. An idol is something that defines your identity and something that you cannot live without. I wonder how many of us are trying to construct an identity in the online world and how many of us cannot live without social media. Something has gone wrong here. The gospel tells us that we don't have to look for affirmation, approval, or recognition from ourselves through cyberspace, but we look for affirmation, approval, and recognition from our Creator who sent His Son to die for us to recreate us after the image and likeness of His Son (Rom. 8:29). Social media is simply a technological and communication tool. There is nothing inherently wrong with it in itself. The question is how our hearts respond to this medium: is it a medium by which I honor God through my pictures and words? Or is it a medium where I seek to honor myself through my pictures and words? Am I looking for self-approval or am I looking for God's approval in the online world?