When you go online, there are literally millions of things you could do - from searching for a recipe to messaging a friend or looking up facts about your favorite dog breed. There are countless tools and resources at our fingertips, but what do we do most of all? We scroll.

I’m on most of the social media platforms and I enjoy each of them for different reasons. I love keeping up with friends and family (literally around the world!) on Facebook. I enjoy searching for fun memes on Instagram and I like how entertaining TikTok can be. I’ve noticed a big problem, though: I love other people’s drama.

If I see a TikTok video that’s sharing the middle of a story about bad customer service or some Bridezilla’s meltdown in a dress shop, I’ll spend an embarrassing amount of time finding the beginning of the story just to make sure I get allll the drama. People love to air their dirty laundry on the internet and even though my parents and in-laws are amazing, I still read every tale about meddling mothers-in-law (mine would never) or selfish moms (mine is not).

But...why?

Honestly, I’m not sure. It must have something to do with the endorphin hits that come along with it. Maybe it even feels good to watch because it’s not my reality. But recently, I've realized that soaking in this kind of content actually makes me feel kind of gross.

Sure, those folks are posting their stories because they want us to watch and engage so their views will go up but what is it doing to my heart?

In the end, what I’m doing is giving myself more negative stories and feelings to stash in my brain and heart. And the more I think about it, the more I realize that it simply isn’t healthy for me.

Here are the kinds of things I’ve been trying to click on less lately:

1. Rage bait stories (like a video of someone behaving poorly in public with a caption that says, “This generation has no respect anymore!” or “Five ways our parents ruined the economy.”)
2. Public sharing of family drama (“Am I wrong for cutting off contact with my in-laws because…” or “Why my husband got kicked out of the delivery room!”)
3. Internet drama, either real or fabricated (“So here’s what REALLY happened between these influencers” or “The ugly truth behind this creator!”)
4. Frightening or nerve-wracking life advice (“Seven things this ER doc will never let their kids do” or “The 3-second thing everyone does that actually causes cancer.”)

I’m not perfect about this, but I’ve noticed some positive changes in myself since becoming more aware of the types of content I’m consuming:

1. I’m wasting less time. When my feed is just skippable garbage, I sort of “wake up” to it and realize there are other things I could (and probably should) be doing.
2. I’m less outraged at stuff that doesn’t affect me. Honestly, there is plenty to be outraged about in real life. I don’t need to give any of my brain space to some beef between two internet strangers I’ve never met and never will.
3. My outlook on life is more positive overall. I have problems just like anyone else, but I’m not filling my brain with all the possible negative things that could happen. It’s a little easier to pray and dream about good outcomes and make hopeful plans when I’m not constantly hearing about new ways things could go wrong. 
4. It’s helping my anxiety. I’m naturally an anxious person as it is. I do not need to dream up fresh worries about my kids getting hurt or wonder whether I’m unknowingly ruining their lives (or my own).

30 Bible Verses for Anxiety, Worry, and Fear

I don’t think it was ever God’s plan for our lives to take in as much anxious and rage-inducing content as possible and just see how we handle it. The Bible is pretty clear that we’re supposed to do the opposite - we’re supposed to guard ourselves against it!

One of my favorite verses is from Philippians:

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
—Philippians 4:8

Rage-bait posts and internet drama are decidedly not lovely or noble. And if you look in the book of Galatians, you’ll see that when we trust in God and walk in the Spirit, we’ll have what’s called the “fruit of the Spirit” in our lives. The list of what we should be experiencing and sharing with the world specifically includes things like love, joy, and peace.

The internet is often fueled by fear, comparison, and outrage - when I’m spending my energy on those things, it’s not only wasting my time, it’s also stealing my peace.  

It’s not easy to step back from the scroll! We’ve grown used to constant updates, hot takes, and “helpful” advice (that probably just leaves us feeling worse). As followers of Jesus, we’re invited into something deeper than digital noise. We’re invited to peace. To wisdom. To a transformed way of thinking.

When we guard our hearts, we make space for something better. Maybe that looks like unfollowing certain accounts, muting topics for a while, or simply asking, “Does this post help me love better? Does it bring peace or steal it?”

The online world is full of voices but we know that only the voice of God will bring us peace. And we get to choose which of those voices we’ll give our time and attention to.