Anyone
my age would likely tell you if you asked (or even if you didn’t ask) that they
grew up in a much simpler age. For my
television viewing as a kid I had three stations from which to choose, and one
of those was mostly “snow.” Internet? Cable TV? Career choice?
Oh, sure, doctor, lawyer, nurse, teacher, fireman, policeman, butcher,
baker, or candlestick maker. Huh? What’s a systems analyst? Or a software engineer? Or a chief information officer? Or IT security specialist?
And
an “influencer” was someone who could manipulate others. Perhaps a salesman.
I’ve
been thinking a lot about that this week as two news/feature articles came to
my attention. In the first one, from the
Wall Street Journal, an anonymous mother was interviewed about the
social media account she and her young teenaged daughter set up during the
pandemic to share with family and fellow dance students pictures and videos of the
girl’s dancing. It was also a means for
the mother and daughter to pass time and bond during a socially restrictive
time. The mother soon began to notice a
disturbing trend in the data on the account dashboard. Yes, they were—much to their delight and
surprise—getting offers of free apparel and sponsorships. But 92% of the account’s followers were adult
men, and some of them were starting to send inappropriate messages and
pictures.
The
mother blocked as many of the inappropriate users as she could keep up
with. But she felt that she faced a
dilemma. The particular social media
platform she was using promotes content based on engagement from the audience,
and the men she was blocking tended to be the ones who lingered the longest on
the pictures and responded online. How
would her daughter ever become a social media influencer, earning tens of
thousands of dollars a year, paying her way through college, and in the process
losing this opportunity for mother-daughter bonding if mom continued blocking
all these men?
Her
eventual response was, “You have to accept it.”
I don’t think you’ll need a WSJ subscription to access the sad,
disgusting, disappointing story at this link.
On
the heels of reading that article, I saw in multiple news outlets that the
surgeon general is “demanding” warning labels be placed on social media apps
due to the risks they pose to young children and teenagers: depression, social
isolation (ironically), potential for sexual abuse, and suicide. Use of social media is nearly universal in
this age group, and according to one Gallup poll they spend about five hours
daily on these sites.
I
am not going to engage in a debate about appropriate levels of government
oversight of social media platforms, free speech, etc. What I will say is that there is no cure for
stupid and only very tough cures for greed.
And I’m not talking about the minors, I’m referring to the adults. Are we selling our souls and our children’s
safety for thirty pieces of silver?
Where is the conscience? What
happened to our moral compass? Yes, the
men ogling the young girl’s pictures are monsters. Will we sacrifice to them that which should
be most precious in life to us?
Until
next time,
Roger
“They built
high places for Baal in the Valley of Ben Hinnom to sacrifice their sons and
daughters to Molech, though I never commanded—nor did it enter My mind—that they
should do such a detestable thing." Jeremiah 32:35 NIV*
*Scripture quotations taken from the
Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011
by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
