Good and Evil Networking

We live in a very interconnected age, made possible by modern telecommunications and digital technology. With a digital device, one can connect nearly instantaneously with almost any other human on the planet. But this also means that both good and evil influences are just a click away.

Network Theory has been around for a century, and today it is applied to many scientific disciplines, including engineering, biology, physics, sociology, and virology. Network Theory grew outside the halls of academia when it became popularized by the college game “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.” I remember hearing about this parlor game in the 1990s. The objective was to link any actor to the actor Kevin Bacon through just five other actors appearing together in a film.

Today, due to the growth of interconnectedness, social networking can make connections with hundreds, thousands, even millions of people. An example of social networking is when a video, fad, or post is shared on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, or other platforms. When something is viewed and shared, spreading to thousands or millions, it is said to have “gone viral,” meaning that it has spread quickly, like a virus does.

Like many things, social networking can be used for good or evil, whether sharing something harmless and funny, like a dog or cat video, or something false or negative—a rumor, fake news, or propaganda intended to incite violent demonstrations or motivate susceptible individuals towards radicalization. Program algorithms and the forces of pop culture movements may drive the spread of false information, but at the crux is one person sharing it with their friends, who also share it with their friends. This is Network Theory in action.

Again, this is like the spread of an infectious virus transmitted from one person to many others. The disease spreads and multiplies exponentially, and social networking can spread a post in like manner. Both are based on the networking principle.

We can be infected with wrong ideas and attitudes that may be subtly planted in our minds, shading our opinions and otherwise influencing us in negative ways. This is the “dark side” of the power of interconnectedness, and it should lead us to be all the more careful about those with whom we associate—just as the Bible instructs (Proverbs 1:10–19; 1 Corinthians 15:33).

An example of bad social networking is with those who spread gossip. The Apostle Paul warned his protégé Timothy, “And besides they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house, and not only idle but also gossips and busybodies, saying things which they ought not” (1 Timothy 5:13). And when it comes to violent demonstrations, seen so often in the news, there is often an instigator who incites others to participate by shouting and leading a chant to stir up the crowd’s emotions. This can and often does turn a protest into an angry, violent mob. The Bible warns us, “Make no friendship with an angry man, and with a furious man do not go, lest you learn his ways and set a snare for your soul” (Proverbs 22:24–25). If people would heed this advice, they would not participate in such demonstrations. It is best to avoid them.

Paul warned Timothy to avoid people who were arrogant, abusive, slanderous, lacking self-control, brutal, treacherous, or reckless (2 Timothy 3:2–5) and to have nothing to do with those who stir up division (Titus 3:10). Proverbs 16:28 remarks, “A perverse man sows strife, and a whisperer separates the best of friends.” We should avoid such negative social influences.

There may be some in our social network who need to be avoided because they are not living up to godly standards (1 Corinthians 5:11). We should keep away from them (2 Thessalonians 3:6). We need to guard ourselves from harmful social influences and seek relationships with those who positively affect us.

You may find the Tomorrow’s World article “Social Influence and God’s Wisdom” helpful concerning this topic.