Men tend to like looking at people’s private parts. Women tend to like looking at people’s private lives.
In fact lots of us find both quite interesting! And both are types of porn. A gawping at what we shouldn’t really have our eyes on. A voyeurism of one kind or another. But social porn is not talked about much so here goes...
Social media has offered us the capacity to scroll through people’s high-lights and low-lights. Even of people we don’t know that well. We are enticed further into photos of nights out, meals and plates with avocados on them.
Jesus teaches us not to judge others or envy their lives. When we peep at people through the various social media port-holes offered to us, are we judging them? Are we envying them? Ever found yourself thinking “that guy is so pompous!” or “I wish I had her social life”?
It’s sometimes suggested that what you see on social media is people’s top 10% and bottom 10%. What we see of other people online is certainly not a full representation on their lives - so we are not in a position to judge them for it and it is not wise to envy them for it.
The truth is, social porn is a distraction that we don’t need. It is unhelpful to how we live. It makes us feel worse about ourselves and others. Let’s drop the social binoculars and fix our sights on Jesus. From him we are given purpose, security, identity, family, belonging and love. That sounds like a better option to me.
