You Are an Influencer: Social Media and Your Soul
You are an influencer.
You may not have thousands or even hundreds of followers on your social media accounts. You might not have a perfectly curated feed, and the thought of people looking to your life for inspiration and advice might make you nervous, but that doesn’t change the fact that there are people who are watching you, listening to you, responding to you. And if you’re one of the 253 million Americans who has at least one social media channel1, even if your account is private, then that circle of influence just got a little bigger.
The merits of social media have been debated in Christian circles since its inception. But I think that many times we’ve been asking the wrong question. Often, the answer isn’t as clear-cut as “Christians should” or “Christians shouldn’t” have social media accounts. The better question seems to be, what is healthy for my own soul?2
A Peculiar People
As believers, we’re called to be different in the ways that we live, dress, speak, and interact with those around us, both in person and online. Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth wisely reminds us that being a Christian on social media “takes discernment, intentionality, and establishing guardrails and boundaries.”3
That kind of intentionality starts by asking good questions. The Westminster Shorter Catechism tells us that the chief end of man is “to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.”4 In my own life, I’ve found that to be a helpful grid to run everything through. But what does that look like practically when it comes to social media? Here are five questions worth considering as we think through our online presence.
1. Will this help me love God more?
In Deuteronomy 6:5, we are each called to, “love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” Social media can either cause your heart to love and enjoy our Lord more, or it can quietly steal away your affection.
As you’re spending time online, it’s important to consider whether what you’re engaging with helps you remember who God is and what He’s done. Does it lead you to gratitude, prayer, or worship? Does it make you enjoy the Lord, His creation, and His creativity? Or is it more like static that is threatening to drown out your spiritual attentiveness? As believers, we are called to love the Lord with all of our hearts and that includes our digital habits.
2. Will this help me love others well?
The digital world makes it easy to form assumptions about people based on what they post. When we do this, we are tempted to start writing entire narratives about someone’s life, or their heart, in our own minds. Typically, this kind of thinking doesn’t lead us to love; it leads us to judgment, envy, or resentment.
Loving others well on social media means remembering that there are real people created in God’s image on the other side of the screen and we don’t know their hearts. Social media can be a wonderful way to keep in touch, encourage others, share the gospel, and show up in small but meaningful ways—but only when used with grace and humility. We need to be careful to choose connection and compassion over cynicism and critique, taking the lead in honoring one another (Rom. 12:10).
3. Does this point to Christ more than it points to me?
In 1 Corinthians 11:1, Paul wrote, “Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ.” One of the pitfalls of social media is that it subtly invites us to simply say, “Look at me.” It’s easy for our posts to become exercises in self-promotion rather than Christ-exaltation.
That doesn’t mean we can’t share joyful moments, funny posts, or exciting news on our feeds, but it does mean we should ask if we are inviting others to see Christ in us or just to see us. Our lives are meant to adorn the truth of the gospel. What we post should echo the posture of our hearts, not to be admired but to make Him known.
4. Does this consistently make me feel proud, envious, or anxious?
Social media often becomes a mirror that reflects the state of our own hearts, and Proverbs 4:23 warns us to guard our hearts above all else. If you find yourself regularly scrolling away from an app feeling less content, more insecure, or oddly superior, pay attention. These are spiritual smoke alarms warning you that your heart is looking somewhere other than Christ for worth, identity, or comfort. Sin is crouching at the door; take the steps you need to kill it, not feed it. It may be time to log off for a while and let the Spirit work in your heart.
5. Are there areas of my life I am not stewarding well because of this?
Time is a gift we’re called to steward wisely. So is our attention, our creativity, and our emotional bandwidth. If we aren’t careful, social media can be an all-consuming beast. If you’re finding it harder to read your Bible, focus at work, or be present with your family, it’s worth asking whether your digital habits are pulling you away from your real-life priorities.
Scripture urges us to “pay careful attention, then, to how you walk—not as unwise people but as wise—making the most of the time” (Eph. 5:15–16). Stewardship means making intentional choices with what God has entrusted to you. If social media is becoming your master, it’s time to reset your rhythms.
Take an Inventory
After honestly wrestling through these questions, I hope you’ll be able to determine what’s healthy for your soul when it comes to social media and adjust your intentionality and boundaries accordingly. Maybe you need to take a hiatus from your account or set guardrails to spend less time online each day. Whatever the case may be, my prayer is that the Holy Spirit would help you influence those around you for Christ and cause people to set their eyes on Him, for He alone is worthy of glory and praise.
1 Simon Kemp, “Digital 2025: The United States of America,” DataReportal, February 25, 2025, https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2025-united-states-of-america.
2 Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth, “A Right Perspective on Social Media,” Revive Our Hearts, April 2, 2020, ?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=roh+blog&se=RZZDEE1AA1.
3 Wolgemuth, “A Right Perspective on Social Media.”
4 “Westminster Shorter Catechism,” The Westminster Standard, June 10, 2019, https://thewestminsterstandard.org/westminster-shorter-catechism.
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