Is Boasting on Social Media a Sin?

By Nathan W. Bingham - Posted at Tabletalk Magazine:

Solomon wisely states that we should “let another praise [us], and not [our] own mouth; a stranger, and not [our] own lips” (Prov. 27:2). Across cultures, social etiquette embodies the wisdom found here. We simply don’t enjoy the company of the braggadocios who always speak about themselves. We expect others to show some level of humility—even if it’s not sincere.

Thanks to pervasive social media and instant messaging, more people today interact with others primarily from behind the screen of a laptop or smartphone. And as a result, many think Solomon’s wisdom can be ignored. Social etiquette doesn’t seem to apply to social media. For example, the Pew Research Center recently asked U.S. teens what they post online. At almost 50 percent, the overwhelming response was the sharing of their own accomplishments. For girls aged fifteen to seventeen, this number rose to close to 60 percent.

Why is this? I call it the digital deception. When we engage through a screen, something changes. Put an iPhone in people’s hands, and words they would not dare say in person they will eagerly tweet or post as a comment. Digitally mediated communication has led to digitally mindless communication. We don’t think before we speak online. We sit in front of a keyboard and deceive ourselves, suppressing the knowledge of God’s presence and assuming we are alone. But we are not alone on social media. God is there. And so is a potential audience of billions of people.

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