A Marvelous Work

Social media is a double-edged sword. It can be used to uplift, educate, and inspire. On the other hand, it can be used to bully, degrade, and spread falsehoods. How can we use social media in a positive way? Elder David A Bednar spoke on this subject at a conference in 2014. He stated, “I exhort you to sweep the earth with messages filled with righteousness and truth—messages that are authentic, edifying, and praiseworthy—and literally to sweep the earth as with a flood”. The floodgates have certainly opened up since then!

New technologies and social media platforms have been developed since that talk was given. It is easier than it ever has been before to spread the gospel message through social media. Static images, quotes, and videos are easy to upload and share a gospel message. I will often share messages from general authorities on my Instagram stories page. I don’t typically write my own posts about religious topics, since I use social media for family memories/journal purposes. However, I like to share messages and posts from others that I find uplifting.

If I were to create social media posts to share the gospel, I would want to do it like the Inklings Institute. I think they do a great job sharing quotes, study materials, and live classes to participate in each week. An hour after their live class, they upload the video of the class to their page. I can then reference the class at another time or return to it later.