The Proverbs of Social Media: Part Two

The enticement of sinners

Photo by Joshua Hoehne on Unsplash

One of the chief dangers of social media is the temptation to join in with a mob as they troll or attack someone. Proverbs 1:10-19 provides a powerful warning against being enticed by sinners:

¹⁰ My son, if sinners entice you,
    do not consent.
¹¹ If they say, “Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood;
    let us ambush the innocent without reason;
¹² like Sheol let us swallow them alive,
    and whole, like those who go down to the pit;
¹³ we shall find all precious goods,
    we shall fill our houses with plunder;
¹⁴ throw in your lot among us;
    we will all have one purse”—
¹⁵ my son, do not walk in the way with them;
    hold back your foot from their paths,
¹⁶ for their feet run to evil,
    and they make haste to shed blood.
¹⁷ For in vain is a net spread
    in the sight of any bird,
¹⁸ but these men lie in wait for their own blood;
    they set an ambush for their own lives.
¹⁹ Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain;
    it takes away the life of its possessors.

The key to these verses is in verse 19, reminding us that this is a warning against those “greedy for unjust gain.” The “gain” sought after on social media can be material gain, as in the case of influencers who troll to draw attention to themselves and their projects. But for most of us, the gain we long for is social capital. We desire to be seen and approved of by others online. The gain is the emotional satisfaction we receive when we receive affirmation and attention.