Burying Digital Glory

Few of us would volunteer to relive middle school or high school.

Those years were often marked by insecurity, comparison, and the exhausting effort to belong. Triumphs were filtered through peer approval. Failures felt magnified. A whisper of rejection could overshadow a week of joy. For many, adolescence was less about discovering who we were and more about anxiously managing how we were perceived.

And yet, in many ways, social media has recreated those hallways.

The digital world has become a sprawling campus of comparison, approval, and exclusion. We scroll, post, react, and measure. We reassure ourselves that we are no longer teenagers desperate for validation, but the emotions that surface online often suggest otherwise. The longing to be seen, affirmed, and applauded still pulses beneath our clicks.

In this environment, digital glory becomes intoxicating.

But for Christians, the pursuit of digital glory presents a serious spiritual challenge. Jesus warns us plainly: “How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?” (John 5:44). His words cut across centuries and land squarely in our algorithm-driven age.

If we are not vigilant, social media can quietly reshape our loyalties, our beliefs, and even our faithfulness.

The Rise of Digital Inner Rings

In The Weight of Glory, C.S. Lewis describes the temptation of the “Inner Ring” the desire to belong to an exclusive group whose approval grants status and influence. In his day, these rings formed in offices, schools, and communities. Today, they flourish online.

Social media platforms have given us the ability to curate our own digital inner rings accounts whose approval we crave, voices we amplify, communities we long to impress. With every “like,” share, and comment, digital glory offers a small rush of affirmation.

And it is powerful.

As of 2024, more than 4.9 billion people worldwide use social media. The average user spends over two hours per day scrolling, posting, and engaging. That is not a neutral environment. It is a formative one. What we consume shapes what we desire. What we repeatedly see begins to define what we value.

Human beings are social creatures by design. Scripture affirms this. Paul urges Timothy to remember “from whom you learned” the gospel (2 Timothy 3:14). God often strengthens our faith through the faith of others.

But there is a difference between being strengthened by godly community and being swayed by digital applause.

When we begin adjusting our tone, softening our convictions, or amplifying certain opinions primarily because they earn affirmation from our digital inner rings, we are no longer pursuing truth. We are pursuing glory.

And digital glory is quicksand.

Belief in the Age of Applause

We rarely change our beliefs in isolation. We are influenced by those around us. In healthy Christian community, this influence can be life-giving. Mature believers model faithfulness. Churches guard sound doctrine. Brothers and sisters sharpen one another (Proverbs 27:17).

But social media lacks many of these safeguards.

Online, popularity can masquerade as authority. A viral thread can feel more compelling than Scripture. A trending perspective can exert subtle pressure, especially when those who adopt it seem to gain influence and admiration.

Psychologists have documented the phenomenon of “social proof” our tendency to view beliefs as credible when many others endorse them. On social media, social proof is quantified and displayed publicly. Numbers become a visible scoreboard of approval.

In such an environment, digital glory can begin to shape theology, ethics, and priorities. We may not consciously think, “I want to be admired,” but our posting patterns and online reactions often reveal the desire.

Jesus directly confronts this dynamic in Matthew 6. When teaching about prayer, giving, and fasting, He repeatedly warns against practicing righteousness “to be seen by others.” The issue is not public obedience but public performance.

The danger today is that social media blurs those categories. Is this post an overflow of genuine conviction, or is it crafted for applause? Are we sharing to serve, or sharing to signal?

Let digital glory die, because faith cannot thrive where performance dominates.

The Digital Outer Ring

The temptation does not stop with inner rings. Social media also encourages the formation of outer rings groups we mute, mock, or mentally dismiss.

Perhaps it is a theological camp we view as hopelessly misguided. Perhaps it is a political perspective we believe disqualifies someone from speaking wisely about anything. With a click, we can silence voices that irritate us.

While Scripture clearly draws doctrinal boundaries Paul warns against false gospels in Galatians 1:8 those boundaries were historically guarded within the life of the local church. Real elders, real congregations, real accountability.

Digital outer rings, however, are often shaped by preference rather than principle. Algorithms reinforce this by feeding us content that aligns with our existing views. According to Pew Research, a majority of social media users report seeing mostly opinions that align with their own. Over time, this curated exposure narrows our empathy and hardens our reactions.

When we habitually mute and block online, we may begin to do the same in real life emotionally or relationally. Our patience shrinks. Our humility fades. We forget that Christ died for people who still struggle, still err, still disagree.

Digital glory not only distorts what we seek; it distorts whom we love.

The Exhaustion of Constant Performance

There is another cost to pursuing digital glory: fatigue.

Constant self-presentation is draining. Crafting posts. Monitoring reactions. Measuring engagement. Wondering whether the silence after sharing something significant means disapproval.

Studies increasingly link heavy social media use with increased anxiety, especially among young adults. When identity becomes entangled with online reception, peace becomes fragile.

Jesus offers something radically different.

In Matthew 6:4, He reminds us that the Father “sees in secret.” This is not merely a theological statement; it is an invitation. While digital platforms urge us to broadcast everything, Christ invites us into hidden communion.

The Father sees what no follower sees.
He hears what no comment section hears.
He knows the parts of us we refuse to publish.

And astonishingly, He does not mute us.

Every hidden prayer. Every unseen act of service. Every quiet sacrifice. None of it is wasted. Heaven’s reward system operates independently of digital metrics.

When we lose sight of God’s gaze, we become hypersensitive to everyone else’s.

Let digital glory die, because the glory that comes from God is better.

Friends Not Followers

C.S. Lewis observed that true friendship often forms unintentionally. When people gather around shared love of Christ, of truth, of beauty they may find themselves in something that looks like an inner ring from the outside. But its exclusivity is accidental, not engineered.

Friendship is not fueled by performance but by presence.

In a world of followers and metrics, Christians are called to cultivate embodied relationships. Real churches. Real conversations. Real accountability. Hebrews 10:24–25 urges believers not to neglect meeting together. Screens cannot replace shared worship, shared meals, shared tears.

Moreover, Jesus Himself reframes our identity. He does not call us to build personal brands; He calls us friends (John 15:15). The friend of sinners does not measure us by engagement statistics. He invites us to abide.

Digital glory promises visibility. Christ offers intimacy.

Digital glory offers applause. Christ offers adoption.

Digital glory is fleeting. God’s glory is eternal.

Choosing a Better Glory

This does not mean abandoning technology entirely. Social media can serve meaningful purposes. It can spread truth, strengthen connections, and encourage believers across distances.

But it must not master us.

Ask yourself:
Whose approval most shapes my decisions?
Whose praise excites me most?
Whose criticism unsettles me most?

If the answer is primarily digital, it may be time to recalibrate.

Let digital glory die in your heart. Refuse to measure your worth by visibility. Resist shaping your beliefs for applause. Seek the glory that comes from God alone.

Because when the applause fades and it always does the Father who sees in secret remains.

And in His presence, no one competes for attention. No one performs for worth. No one hustles for belonging.

There is only grace.

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