Welcome back to another post from the Fruitful Three Show. Today, we're diving deep into something that affects every single one of us: social media and how it's fundamentally changing what it means to be human.

The Great Paradox

We live in the most connected generation in human history. Billions of people are linked through screens. Information sits at our fingertips. The whole world rests in the palm of our hands.

But here's the truth nobody wants to admit: we've never been more isolated. We've never been more addicted. And we've never been more deceived.

Social media promised to bring us together. Instead, it's tearing us apart. Technology was supposed to free us, but we've become slaves to it.

The Bible warned us about systems that would control minds, manipulate hearts, and make people worship the works of their own hands. Right now, we're living in it.

The Empathy Crisis: When Humans Become Content

Let me ask you something: When's the last time you scrolled past someone's pain without feeling anything? When did you last see someone hurting, and instead of helping, you just kept scrolling?

We've become numb.

Social media was designed to connect us, but instead it's trained us to treat people like content. We don't see a person crying—we see a video. We don't witness someone struggling—we see a post. Instead of empathy, we give them a quick reaction: a like, an emoji, maybe a "thoughts and prayers" comment, and then we move on.

That's not a connection. That's performance.

Recently, we hosted a 90th birthday party for a local lady in our community. When we advertised it to get people to come celebrate in person, most people just commented "happy birthday" on the post. I wonder how many will actually show up, or if that comment was their entire participation.

The Science Behind Our Numbness

Studies show that social media actively erodes empathy. Platforms encourage quick, image-heavy interactions—swipes and judgment calls made in half a second. Over time, this trains your brain to make surface-level responses instead of actually listening or reflecting on someone else's experiences.

You stop seeing people as full humans with complicated inner lives. You start seeing them as content, as targets, as entertainment.

The statistics are chilling:

One in six school-age kids now experiences cyberbullying
40% of students who engage in cyberbullying reported feeling nothing afterward
Only 16% felt guilty
78% of people admit it's easier to say hurtful things online than face-to-face

Here's something we need to understand: back in the day, kids could get bullied at school, and were able go home to a safe, loving family. Now? You can go home, and people are still chasing you through text messages and social media. There's no escape.

Screens create distance. They remove consequences. They let us dehumanize each other without ever having to look someone in the eye.

Matthew 6:21 says, "Where your treasure is, there your heart will also be." Right now, our hearts are trapped behind screens, and they're growing cold.

The Addiction Machine: How They Hijack Your Brain

Social media isn't just entertaining—it's engineered to be addictive.

Every time you refresh your feed, every notification, every new video—that's not random. It's a reward system. Platforms use something called "variable rewards": unpredictable bursts of new content that trigger the same brain response as gambling.

You don't know what's coming next, so you keep scrolling, keep refreshing, keep checking. Before you know it, you're hooked.

The Numbers Don't Lie

As of January 2025:

56% of people consider themselves addicted to their digital devices
Children now spend an average of 7.5 hours a day on screens (just for entertainment, not learning)
Kids spend 35% less time playing outside than their parents did
70% of mothers played outside every day when they were girls
Only 31% say their kids do the same
The average American child spends just 4-7 minutes a day in unstructured outdoor play

Think about this: there are 24 hours in a day. If you're spending 7.5 hours on screens, that's a third of your day. A third sleeping, a third on screens, and a third doing... what?

A Mother's Wake-Up Call

Levi recently watched a video of a mom who eliminated screen time in her house. She noticed her son—who used to be active and outdoorsy—was slowly becoming withdrawn and only wanted screen time. His behavior was changing.

So she banned it. Her daughter had a huge problem with it at first because she loved watching TV. But the mom limited screen time to just a couple of hours of selected content per day.

The result? Both children became more engaged, more involved, and wanted to try new things. Their behavior improved dramatically.

Studies show that 70% of mothers played outside every day as children. Only 31% say their kids do the same today.

Adults Are No Better

We're not innocent in this. We hide behind screens to escape reality. Instead of leading our families, we binge on Netflix. Instead of dealing with what's broken, we scroll through Instagram.

Isaiah has watched people have problems and instantly reach for their phone and sit down. You could solve the problem a whole lot faster if you just sat and thought about it for two seconds.

Ever been out to eat and seen couples—or entire families—sitting across from each other, everyone on their phones, not saying a single word? What's the point of going out if you're not going to connect?

Instead of investing in real intimacy, real partnership, real love, people are substituting it with pixels.

That's not just a bad habit. That's idolatry.

Behavioral addiction studies show that 41% of people struggle with pornography and sexual content online. We're worshiping pleasure instead of purpose. We're bowing to the algorithm instead of to God.

Revelation 9:20-21 warns about humanity refusing to repent of the works of their hands. We've created systems that enslave us, and instead of walking away, we cling to them.

Technology was supposed to serve us, but we've become its servants.

The Loneliness Paradox

Here's the great lie: social media promised to connect the world, but it made us lonelier than ever.

The statistics are staggering:

Over two billion people worldwide (30% of all adults) report feeling lonely
In America, 57% say they are lonely
Among Gen Z (ages 18-24), it's 57%

We've never had more friends. We've never had more ways to connect. Yet more than half of young adults feel isolated.

And it's not just emotional—it's deadly. Health experts say loneliness increases your odds of premature death by 50%. That's equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes a day.

Why Connection Isn't the Same as Presence

You can have thousands of followers and zero friends. You can message someone every day and never actually know them.

Social media replaces messy, sustained, in-person relationships with quick, curated exchanges. You scroll through highlight reels—everyone's best moments, filtered and edited—and you start comparing. You start feeling left out. You start believing everyone else is living a better life than you.

But sometimes they're not. Sometimes they're just as lonely as you, and they need someone to hug them in person.

Studies show that even short, intentional limits on social media use reduce loneliness and depression. That tells you something, doesn't it? The platform itself is the problem.

The Misinformation Machine

Beyond loneliness, there's the misinformation and algorithmic curation that feeds you sensational content to keep you engaged. It fragments reality, divides people, and corrodes trust.

You're not connecting with the world. You're being fed a distorted version of it, designed to keep you angry, anxious, and glued to the screen.

Revelation 12:9 calls Satan "the deceiver of the whole world." Right now, mass deception doesn't come through ideology alone. It comes through screens, through disinformation, through the slow erosion of attention, empathy, and truth.

We're not just disconnected from each other. We're disconnected from reality itself.

The Mark of Control

Revelation 13 talks about a system of control where people can't buy, sell, or function in society unless they conform. For centuries, people wondered what that meant.

Maybe we're living it—not in some dystopian sci-fi future, but right now.

Your identity is tied to your digital footprint. Your ability to work, shop, connect, and exist socially increasingly depends on conformity to online systems. Algorithms decide what you see. Platforms decide who hears your voice. Your data is bought, sold, and used to manipulate your behavior.

And if you step out of line? You're silenced, shadowbanned, erased.

Revelation 18:23 warns about sorcery that deceives the nations. If you think about it, influencer culture, curated illusions, the worship of fame, status, and appearance—algorithms that keep you addicted while making you feel like you're free—that's the modern Babylon. Dazzling the world while quietly enslaving minds.

People Know It's Harmful, But Won't Let Go

Here's the scariest part: people know it's harmful, but they won't let go.

Revelation 9 says humanity refuses to repent of the works of their hands. We cling to our devices even when they destroy us. We worship our own creations even when they steal our souls.

The beast doesn't come with horns and fire. It comes with convenience, with entertainment, with the illusion of connection. And we give it our attention willingly.

A Thought About the Apple

Here's something interesting to consider: What caused the first sin? Eve listened to the serpent and ate the forbidden fruit—an apple.

Now, what do many of us carry in our pockets? A phone with a bitten Apple logo.

They claim it's not for religious purposes, that it was just a design they liked. And maybe that's true. But it's interesting how we're being told that technology is destroying us, that AI might be the end of the world—and we're walking around with bitten apples in our pockets.

Just something to think about.

The Way Out

Revelation 2:4-5 gives us hope: "You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen. Repent and do the things you did at first."

Translation: Go back to what's real.

Go back to human touch
Go back to genuine love
Don't let the system own your heart

A Challenge

I'm not saying technology is pure evil. It's a tool if you use it correctly. It's connected families across the world. It's given voices to the marginalized. It's created opportunities that didn't exist before.

But it becomes dangerous when it replaces real life. When screens become your escape instead of your tool. When digital interactions replace human presence. When you're more connected to strangers online than the people you live with.

Here's my challenge for you:

Put your phone down tonight. Sit in silence. Talk to your family—not at them, with them. Go outside. Touch grass. Feel the air. Pray.

Relearn to be present. Relearn to feel. Relearn to love.

One idea: Charlie Kirk used to talk about how his family would shut everything off every Sunday—no TV, no cell phones, no radio, nothing electronic. He said those days were by far the best memories he ever had with his family because they were more present with each other, more interactive, did things together.

Pick one day a week. Try it. See what happens.

Because emotion is a gift from God. Empathy is proof that you're still human. And a real connection is proof you're still alive.

Don't let the digital age steal that from you.

Is Social Media The devil? How Algorithms Steal Your Soul