What Are We Searching for on Social Media?

There's this phenomenon called the knowledge doubling curve, which was created by Buckminster Fuller. After much research, he concluded that for much of recent history, knowledge doubled about every hundred years. After World War II, it changed every 25 years. But now, in the digital age, it's doubling every 12 months. So talk about knowledge overwhelm. God made our minds incredibly powerful, but I'm not sure that processing that much is a good thing. And honestly, it can be really exhausting. With all the news cycles, the next weather crisis or epic storm, and the impending doom from some global conflict, for centuries, we had enough trouble being concerned about things in our immediate vicinity. 

Now, we have access to all the problems of the world, and everyone is trying to raise awareness of problems that need to be confronted. I think that's good, but we can only handle so much. At some point, it becomes too much, and we get exhausted and weary. Interestingly, King Solomon talked about this reality over 2,500 years ago when he said in Ecclesiastes 1.8. 

Ecclesiastes is a book about keeping life here under the sun in perspective.

We can all relate to feeling overwhelmed and tired of the constant stream of information coming at us. But if you're like me, for some reason, we just keep scrolling and searching. Maybe it's out of boredom, or thinking a little more information will give us peace. At some point, if we're going to live with wisdom, we need to realize that no amount of scrolling or consuming more information is going to bring fulfillment. Blaise Pascal said there's a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of each man, which cannot be set aside by any created thing, only by God the Creator, made known through Jesus Christ. I wonder if that desire to keep scrolling and searching is actually us seeking God.

Seeking anything short of Him is going to leave us tired and weary, and it's even going to create more anxiety in us. So I want to throw out a challenge to you today. What if the next time you feel that desire to mindlessly scroll through social media or turn on the TV or a podcast just to keep you company, what if, instead, you took a moment and prayed? What if you just started expressing to God some of the concerns you have about what's happening in your life and in the world around you? Paul said in Philippians 4, 6-7, 

"Don't be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. 

Seeking more information and awareness is a good thing, but it's never going to bring peace. Here, under the sun, we'll only find peace and fulfillment when we're seeking connection with the Maker of heaven and earth. And that's what brings real peace here under the sun.

Part 1: What Is the Key to a Meaningful Life?
Part 2: Finding Meaning in Life’s Monotony
Part 3: What Are We Searching for on Social Media?
Part 4: The Surprising Power of Old Truths in Today’s Word
Part 5: How to Accept What You Can’t Change
Part 6: How to Find Peace in a World Obsessed with Information

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