And they left their gods there, and David gave command, and they were burned. 1 Chronicles 14:12
Social media algorithms have been in the news a lot lately, with much of the discussion revolving around its impact on mental health and addiction. It’s no surprise that social media apps are highly motivated to provide us with content that is personally interesting. The more we scroll, the more advertising money the creator makes and so, they employ artificial intelligence algorithms that use our scrolling behavior to figure out our likes and dislikes. Our phones even listen in on our conversations, showing us ads for furniture if we’ve been talking about buying a new couch. This is all designed to keep us scrolling indefinitely.
For men, this is a problem. Any social media app that employs these algorithms can tell within a minute if a user likes to look at scantily clad women. Armed with this information, the app feeds the user more of what he wants. I’ve met many men who’ve lamented that it seems their favorite social media app is out to get them in trouble with their wives. I just want to see hunting videos, but I end up looking at porn.
For me, the answer seems obvious – Don’t use that app. Don’t scroll. The algorithm can’t feed me something destructive if I’m not engaged with it.
If something represents a temptation, wisdom dictates that we must cut it out of our lives. This principle is illustrated in today’s passage, which tells of Israel’s victory in a battle with the Philistines. After the battle, the Philistines fled, leaving behind their idols. Knowing that this kind of thing had been a temptation for his people, King David burned the idols. David and his people couldn’t be tempted by something that didn’t exist anymore.
If I struggle with alcohol, I shouldn’t keep it in my house. Likewise, if I struggle with pornography, I shouldn’t keep it in my pocket. For some of us, this may mean getting rid of the smart phone, but for many of us, it simply means not using that social media app that wants to keep us addicted. Once we know that an app is designed to make us fail, we should simply get rid of that app. If we keep it and if we keep going back to it, we cannot expect anything other than continued failure.