Track: A Student's Guide to Social Media: A Student’s Guide to Social Media

by Jason Thacker

The internet is a tool box, not a toy box. Social media platforms are some of the tools we can use for building one another up. This is a guide on handing these tools, carefully.  Social media is a tool that can be good. It can connect us with friends and family with an immediacy that previous generations could only wonder at. But it can also be used unwisely. Whether it’s harsh words, regrettable posts, or excessive scrolling, we should think about how God wants us to engage with social media. What does the Bible teach us? Jason Thacker’s helpful guide will help students explore the wisest ways to use social media.

Genres: Parenting

104 pages, Paperback

Published January 17, 2023

About the author

Jason Thacker serves as an assistant professor of philosophy and ethics at Boyce College in Louisville, KY. He also is a research fellow in Christian ethics and director of the research institute at The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention. He is the author of several books including "Following Jesus in the Digital Age" and "The Age of AI: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity". He also serves as the editor of "The Digital Public Square: Christian Ethics in a Technological Society" and co-editor of the Essentials in Christian Ethics series with B&H Academic. He is the project leader and lead drafter of "Artificial Intelligence: An Evangelical Statement of Principles", and his work has been featured at Slate, Politico, The Week, USA Today, Christianity Today, World Magazine, The Gospel Coalition, and Desiring God.

He is a graduate of The University of Tennessee in Knoxville, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies. He also holds a Master of Divinity from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he is currently a PhD candidate in ethics, public theology, and philosophy. He serves as an associate fellow with the Kirby Laing Centre for Public Theology in Cambridge, an advisor for AI and Faith, fellow in science and technology at the Land Center for Cultural Engagement at Southwestern Seminary, and a research fellow with the ERLC Research Institute. He is married to Dorie and they have two sons.

Reviews

[Ryan Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A helpful, concise resource on the tool and culture that social media is. This is a great resource for students and adults alike, as we consider how social media is discipling us, how we ought to use it, when we ought to use it, and what our motivations are in engaging on such platforms. Thacker provides practical tips on how to guard our time, our words, and our identity to be rooted in Scripture, as we interact with the world around us. He reminds us that ultimately we must love God first, and love our neighbors, both in true face-to-face community and even through our social media channels.

[Ally Ruby · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a young Christian reader I really like this book. It’s a great book about wisely using social media and gives you a Christian prospective on how to use social media. I recommend this book for teens and tweens who are just getting into social media or getting a phone. Have a blessed day!

[Sarah Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very practical book on how to evaluate & adjust your view & usage of social media. It’s not just for students but also helpful for adults. Maybe especially helpful for adults.

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is concise and helpful. I’d qualify it as a necessary read for those working in student ministry, and a helpful share to parents of teenagers and students themselves. A good quality resource!