OVERCONSUMPTION OF SOCIAL MEDIA
Last month, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta (which owns Facebook and Instagram) testified before a jury in a Los Angeles trial over whether social media is addictive and can be dangerous. In the past, social media companies have claimed to offer users protection in the form of “robust tools at their fingertips,” implying that people simply aren’t disciplined enough to use them. But recent research has pointed to features built into the design of social media platforms that are “intentionally engineered to override human self-control.” These features may trigger the user’s dopamine system, making these platforms analogous to addiction. The current lawsuit is being treated as a bellwether trial: How it ends may dictate the approach to thousands of other lawsuits.

OVERCONSUMPTION OF THE KING’S FOOD
In their new country and home, Daniel and his friends are invited to eat the food and wine of the king’s table. This plan is objectionable for Daniel, who—since he has favor with the officials over him—devises a compromise. If after ten days consuming only plants and water, the deportees of Judah look unhealthy, they will submit to the wishes of their overseers. In the end, thanks to God’s miracle to sustain them, the four friends look healthier than all the rest. Centuries later, Paul writes that believers should give even more attention to the ideas that they consume. Training in godliness, or pursuing God, has eternal value for our souls.

Questions

• What is your opinion about the addictive potential of social media? Should it be regulated?
• How can people stay emotionally healthy when interacting online?
• When have you made a good choice about what ideas you consume?