Uploaded March 2023 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago

---

Recently author and software engineer Doug Smith was on the podcast “Theology in the Raw” with Preston Sprinkle. He made the argument that social platforms are designed to be addictive, and he specifically took aim at TikTok, Instagram and Facebook Reels, and YouTube Shorts - the platforms that have begun embracing discovery algorithms. We agree on a lot, but we disagree on some fundamental points. Let's dig into that together.

SUBSCRIBE to get more actionable strategies just like this one!
https://prochur.ch/2IO1YQY

=============================
Table of Contents:
=============================
0:00 - Intro
1:30 - Podcast Excerpt
5:15 - The Things We Agree On
6:00 - The Three Tenants Of Digital Hygiene
10:52 - Doug Smith On "The Medium Is The Message"
14:55 - My Understanding Of Doug's Position
15:47 - Doug Smith On The Difference Between Short Form/Long Form Content
17:18 - My Main Pushback

=============================
Show Notes:
=============================
- Listen to the entire interview with Doug Smith on "Theology In The Raw": youtube.com/watch?v=jkHCpOjV3aY
- Doug's written response to my video: thatdougsmith.com/2023/03/12/does-social-media-help-or-hinder-discipleship-responding-to-the-brady-shearer-critique

=============================
Connect With Brady:
=============================
Instagram: instagram.com/bradyshearer
TikTok: vm.tiktok.com/pfArcS
Twitter: twitter.com/BradyShearer
The Pro Church Tools Show: https://www.nucleus.church/podcast

#ChurchSocialMedia #ChurchCommunications