I have a love/hate relationship with social media.
Some days, I want to chuck all technology out the window, get a flip phone with no internet, and just live my life in a bubble—oblivious to the rest of the world.
But then other days, I view it as a fun avenue to share my life with family and friends I’m not around daily, keep in touch with old friends, and make new friends with like-minded values from all over the country/world.
At the end of the day, it’s another way to connect. It’s not inherently good or bad, but just like anything, it can be overused and a temptation to sin. It can be a source of envy and comparison to others. It can be a waste of time we could be spending in prayer or service. It can be a distraction from silence and add to the noise in our already chaotic lives. In striving to live virtuous lives, rooted in prayer, with eyes fixed on heaven, we must be intentional about how, when, and why we use social media.
Give Me Prudence
When reflecting on my own consumption of social media, the virtue of prudence comes to mind. Prudence is one of the four cardinal virtues defined in the Catechism of the Catholic Church as “the virtue that disposes practical reason to discern our true good in every circumstance and to choose the right means of achieving it (paragraph 1806).” Basically, prudence guides our actions by determining how and why things should be used in our lives to orient us toward the good. It determines what is proper and right to do in each circumstance, according to the time and place.
Many of us probably don’t spend much time thinking about prudence, but maybe it’s exactly what we should be praying for. It’s not that we can’t delight and take part in things of this world, but that we must make sure we use those things with right judgement to point us back to Christ. So for the sake of prudence, here are my top tips for how each of us can use the ‘Gram to grow closer to Christ and be a light to others…
- Set a limit. I notice I whip out my phone to scroll through social media anytime I’m waiting or I’m bored during the day. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with this, the time spent on my phone adds up and there are often better ways to use my time. In order to use social media prudently, we must use it intentionally. Setting a limit to our “screen time” in the settings of our phones (I do this from 10 PM to 12 PM the next day), or unplugging altogether from social media once a week is a great way to remind ourselves of our intentionality when we go online and not just post or scroll out of boredom.
- Think before you post. Some people are naturally more “social media observers,” while others are “social media posters.” I definitely fall into the latter category. If you’re like me and enjoy sharing your life and fun things on social sites, I would caution you to always think before you post to avoid vanity. What’s the purpose of posting this picture? Am I simply posting it because I look pretty and I want people to think I’m pretty? Or am I posting it because I want to bring a smile to other peoples’ faces or make them laugh or think about something in a different way by a caption I write? We don’t need more vain and superficial imitations of beauty. Spread goodness, truth, and joy on social media by always having a purpose to your posting.
- Show the Internet who you are in real life. Do you follow any friends on Instagram who literally have a completely different identity online than in person? Between filters, makeup, and posing, they look and act completely different on your phone than you know them to be in real life. These people make me chuckle a little because it’s just so fake. I don’t know about you, but I want all my social platforms to be an extension of who I truly am, not a glorified and perfect version of my life. We can either perpetuate the cycle of comparison on social media by trying to be perfect, or we can offer genuine goodness and truth by just being who we are in real life. Post and share things that are meaningful to you. Make fun of yourself sometimes. Laugh. Smile. But just be freaking real. People relate more to that than any filtered selfie you could take.
- Embrace the Unfollow Spree. Who you follow on social networking sites can completely change its impact on your life. If you follow people who bring you down through comparison, envy, or hatred, unfollow them! You don’t owe anyone a follow so never feel bad about an unfollow spree.
- Follow only life-giving accounts. With that said, stay committed to following only people who are going to bring you life and inspire you to be the saint you are called to be!! I’ve met some awesome, incredible people through Instagram who I’ve developed real and lasting friendships with in REAL LIFE!! (Seriously—I have made about 4 authentic friends through Instagram…) There’s a lot of goodness on social media, you just need to be intentional about finding it. Check out some of my favorite accounts below and give them a follow to boost your life-giving feed.
My favorite Instagram accounts to follow…
- Women: Melissa Tablada, Leah Darrow, Lila Rose, Megan Wells, Cecilia Pappas, Jordan Lee Dooley, A Catholic Convo
- Men: Catholic Gentlemen, A Basic Catholic, Matt Fradd
- Online Businesses: A Little Catholic, Just Love Prints, Every Sacred Sunday, Pink Salt Riot, Megan Aaron Photography
- Communities: Blessed is She, The Grotto Network, Catholic Connect, Many Hail Mary’s at a Time, Focus Catholic
Go out and be light to the world. First in real life, then on social.
From the depths of my soul,
