Social media makes everything one-dimensional, intentional or not. Belief systems that have taken centuries to develop are suppressed into a 15 second TikTok or a screenshot of a Twitter post. With social media (terrifyingly) being seen as a reliable source of information for some people, it might be that these random uploads shape someone’s entire concept of a belief system.
Online as an unbiased spectator
My FYP has become a melting pot of beliefs. I follow fitness girlies that also happen to be Christian, and since they post about it, my algorithm then assumes I want to see bible verses without the influencers attached.
Even more so than Christianity, there is astrological content all over my feed. Every time I’ve gone through a breakup, it’s like my phone knows because my apps become flooded with tarot readings, angel numbers, all that jazz. “There is a brunette man in your life,” the text will read, “that will have no money, no success, and he will reach out to you.” Best believe I’m staring at my screen like “yessss this astrology stuff is amazing!” Double tap!!
The coincidences are fun. I’m a pisces, and my FYP reads me to filth sometimes. I’m emotional, daydreamy, have a hard time saying no to people, and have been told I’m sensitive my whole life.
I was convinced to download Co-Star, a popular astrology app, and of course now I’m addicted and check it every day. But, in the grand scheme of things, do I really believe it’s telling me my end-all, be-all fate?
The short answer is no. Similarly to most people, if I’m scrolling on my phone in bed and feeding into my average 7 hours of daily screen time (oops), odds are I’m not searching for a religious answer to the mystery of life.
Belief as Comfort
Whether or not I think Co-Star or the tarot card readers on my FYP are leading me on the “right” path, doesn’t really matter to me. I don’t think I should have to be fully convinced of something to be allowed to find comfort in it.
Right now, my Co-Star reads, “you are destined for bigger things than romantic love.” While this actually sounds quite like a backhanded jab at my love life, I’m choosing to ignore that, and view it from a glass half-full perspective. The stars could have that prophecy lined up for me, but even if they don’t, it’s just a nice thing to read about yourself… which is reason enough for me to read it.
Especially at this point in our lives, as women in their 20’s — everything is scary! People, our future, love, it’s all just too much. So having any sort of faith that can take some pressure off of our shoulders might just be a coping mechanism, and that’s fine.
Straying From Tradition
Specifically in the U.S., the internet loves to steal ideas, recipes, and “life hacks” from other cultures and rename them into a new aesthetic. The same goes for belief systems.
I love CorePower as much as the next girl. I can even forgive them for making classes $30 each. But, calling it “yoga” has always confused me. It’s not like anyone is claiming it to be a traditional yoga studio, but it’s an example of aestheticizing something that doesn’t need aestheticizing because it’s stood just fine on its own.
I won’t exclude myself from or claim to rise above the frighteningly powerful influence of a post. Returning to the first section, I’m exposed to a good amount of Christianity-based content. Yet, they’re almost always one line of text from a bible verse over an aesthetic video and a trending audio. Whether or not I agree with whatever’s written, I almost always open the comments to find out that the quote was taken way out of context after I had preemptively formed an opinion on it.
Theres a certain aesthetic that men have claimed in the past couple of years; a combination of the stock market, weightlifting, religion, and posting social media content.
I can name 5 men in my life off the top of my head that have conformed to this exact stereotype and even started posting TikTok edits of themselves. You do you king…! Yet, these men, to me, could be read as someone trying to make an easily-consumable version of religion that presents itself as a “masculine aesthetic,” bringing in likes and followers.
Politics, Social Media, and Faith
I’ve heard talk that traditional values are on the rise and Christianity is “trending,” but is it really? Or are we just more exposed to religiously-driven stories and headlines because it draws engagement and public reaction?
Any story in the media that can combine two separate topics and attempt to create an aesthetic correlation out of it, like religious beliefs and political affiliation, is destined for a high click count.
In related recent news, the President posted a picture of himself depicted as Jesus, which was quickly taken down amid a plethora of Christian backlash. Political figures of the older generation are seemingly failing to realize that social media, though not “real life,” has just as much (if not more) impact as a newspaper headline.
Trying to blend social media apps and religion with no regard for the permanence of the internet is offensive to believers and non-believers alike. Separation of church and state seems to have become worthless when the matter is taken online.