When was the last time you were on social media and saw something in your feed that made you absolutely elated? How about viscerally made? Perhaps a news headline, a post from a stranger, a video clip?

The point is this: These big reactions from snippets online are digital wolves, and their intention is to get you riled up.

But why?

It might make sense to send people content they like, but why send them content that will upset them? Because we live in an attention economy, companies make more money when they keep us engaged more often and for longer periods of time. As consumers we’ve shown that we’ll dedicate our attention to two things: stuff we love and stuff we hate. Indifference doesn’t sell. 

The two-fold problem:

1. We get quickly overstimulated and left feeling anxious, cynical and overwhelmed. This in turns leads us to our go-to escapes. The (online) world is too much, so we turn to our outlets to soothe the chaos.

2. The more attention we give these wolves (by reading, clicking, liking, sharing, etc.) these types of posts, the more likely we are to deal with them in the future. This is how the algorithm works. For good and for evil, the more time we spend engaging with content, the more we will see similar content. Your newsfeed is not an accident, my friend. 

In fact, author David Murrow points out that all you need to do to find wolves is to examine your newsfeed. It’s curated just for you. An AI (artificial intelligence) compiles data points on where you live, what you view, purchase, like, follow, and search, and then creates content for you. The more time you spend looking at wolves, searching wolves, arguing with wolves, the more likely you are to receive more of that same content. The AI cannot discern if you’re mad; it can only tell that you’re engaged—which is exactly what it wants. 

As responsible and thoughtful tech users, as responsible and thoughtful Christians, we need to be wolf aware and not take the bait.

We need to be wolf aware

1. Put tech in its proper place. Delete social media from your phone and commit to checking it on a computer only. This eliminates unintentional scrolling. It becomes a tool, not a medication for boredom. 

2. Talk to your children about what makes them happy and angry online. Our kids spend time in places online that most of us don’t even know exist. This isn’t said to scare you, but to let you know that the internet is big and changes quickly; we need have ongoing, consistent conversations with our teens about what they’re reading and viewing online. 

3. Model healthy tech choices for your children. Determine preset tech times, and commit to them. Also model how to handle positive and negative emotions that swell up from reading/viewing online content. The family needs to be safe place for children to learn how to think critically, disagree lovingly, all the while forming thoughtful, intelligent, arguments. This starts with you, Mom and Dad. 

Becoming “wolf aware” is the first step. Recognize the big emotional swings you have when you’re online, and when they happen, allow yourself a second to regroup and re-evaluate why you’re feeling this way. Loving action can then follow and we can act accordingly. 

pc: Photo by Philipp Pilz on Unsplash