We Have To Slow Down

Social media continues to dominate modern life. While this is old news, in a sense, the introduction of the Threads app — and, even more so, its unprecedented 100-million-user race time — reveals the true depth of our society’s obsession with social media.

With this revelation comes another, far more disturbing realization about the nature of the obsession: indeed, fueling and supporting it is an unquenchable thirst for perpetual relevance and a misguided belief that relevance lies in keeping pace with society. The speed with which people joined Threads underscores this desire.

To be sure, some users were already seeking a Twitter alternative and were relieved when Threads arrived. For the majority, however — Catholics like myself included — I believe the decision to sign up was fostered by “I guess this is where we’re supposed to go now” thinking. Mass appeal doesn’t automatically make something immoral, but mass adoption without proper investigation is a fool’s errand.

Free access and social contagion have combined forces to remove would-be reservations. New products that cost us money normally make us pause before purchasing. Despite costing us time, social media disguises itself as free; this new product’s offer coaxes us into putting down our guard.

As Catholics, we are called to thoughtfully and thoroughly engage with new ideas and new technologies before accepting them. This is not based on the fear of progress but a recognition of the dangers of haste. The speed surrounding social media has obscured our ability to discern which of the products we use are actually helping us become better humans.

We have to slow down.