Discerning Your Social Media Use feat. Sr. Bethany Davis

“It’s a mix of being authentic but also sharing Jesus. If I were just trying to be what people want me to be on the internet I’d lose it! I’m never going to stop being myself.”

Social media is a brand new, evolving frontier in our world. I have real-life friendships that started on social media. I love using it to network and gain ideas and stay connected with family. However, we all know that dark side too: bullied teens taking their own lives, isolation, and comparing our messiness to everyone else's highlight reel. How do we know when social media is part of God's plan for us, and how do we know when we need to log off and walk away? Should we withdraw entirely? How do we engage with the world online but also maintain a healthy spiritual life?

Sr. Bethany Davis, a Daughter of St. Paul (aka the "media nuns,") is here to discuss this huge question. You'll love her easygoing style and relatability and also the challenge she presents to each of us to put Christ's mission first. The media nuns also have an amazing idea for influencing public figures through prayer that I'm TOTALLY stealing! I’m obsessed with vocation stories, so of course we also talk about Sr. Bethany's path as a millennial and how she made the counter-cultural choice to embrace the life of a nun. 

Topics Discussed

• Being a digital disciple and spiritually adopting public figures and influencers 
• The Daughters of St. Paul’s history and charism
• Why the media nuns should be on social media, and what Sr. Bethany chooses to not share
• Should we get into debates about hot-button issues on social media?

Resources

• Fr. Aquinas Beale’s episode of Called and Caffeinated
• Mary Lenaburg’s episode of Called and Caffeinated
• Social Media: How Much and What For?