013 – Let’s Talk about the Social Dilemma
Summary: Today on the podcast, Pastors Brad and Alex talk about social media and its impact on our lives. We tweet, we like, we comment, we share. For most of us, it’s become a normal part of our lives. But what are the consequences of our increased dependence on social media? Using the Netflix documentary The Social Dilemma as a starting point, Alex and Brad discuss what’s going on with social media, what it means, and some suggestions of what we should do about it.
— Recommended Reading to Dig Deeper —
https://www.thesocialdilemma.com/ This is the official website of the documentary The Social Dilemma. It contains some additional helpful resources related to the movies content:
View the documentary on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/81254224
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/09/movies/the-social-dilemma-review.html – This article contains a summary of the documentary The Social Dilemma if you’re looking for a quick overview.
The Coddling of the American Mind by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt. Jonathan Haidt is one of the experts interviewed in The Social Dilemma. In this book, he and his co-author talk in-depth about some factors that have caused a huge societal change in the last decade or so, including social media. They also talk about some practical solutions for parents to help combat the harmful effects of technology.https://t.ly/IBw9
The Tech-Wise Family: Everyday Steps for Putting Technology in Its Proper Place by Andy Crouch. This book contains insights and research from a Barna study on how technology is affecting individuals and families. It also gives some helpful, practical suggestions for how to keep technology within proper boundaries.https://t.ly/GvFg
Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked by Adam Alter. Alter looks at the impact technology addiction has on life in America. He acknowledges the benefits from technology and recognizes it cannot be completely removed, but highlights healthier ways of dealing with it.https://t.ly/a8li
Soul Keeping: Caring for the Most Important Part of You by John Ortberg. This book focuses on what it looks like to have a healthy soul. https://t.ly/hDci
The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World by John Mark Comer. This book focuses on how to remain emotionally healthy and spiritually alive in the midst of a busy world. https://amzn.to/3kcV74w
Additionally, Pastor Brad did a sermon series last year based on the concepts in the two books above. You can find those messages here: http://www.b4church.org/sermons/series/soul-care/
B4 books are available at the B4 Digital Library on Overdrive. Contact CarolAnne Tsai at ctsai@b4church.org if you need any assistance
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B4Church provides recommendations for books, podcasts, and other resources as a service to our congregation and the community at large. These resources will not always reflect B4’s theology, values or doctrinal positions on controversial issues. The views and opinions expressed in recommended books, articles, and other resources are those of the authors or guests and do not necessarily reflect the convictions of B4Church or The FourSquare Church in general. If you have any questions about this disclaimer, please contact CarolAnne Tsai, Adult Ministries Resource Coordinator.