Episode Nineteen: The Internet Made Everyone an Expert

Hello everybody, we hope you had a great Memorial Day. This week's episode is about people on the internet influencing our opinions and perspectives. We hope you enjoy.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:02

Welcome to the Purpose Podcast. I'm your host, Gabe. And I'm your co-host, Josh. And today is Friday, May 22nd. And you people are going to be seeing this on Memorial Day. So the 25th? Yes, 25th.

SPEAKER_00 0:20

Right. I hope y'all had a good Memorial Day.

SPEAKER_01 0:26

Yes, and I hope we also hope you had a good weekend. Um yesterday, it kind of was kind of a hard day because for all NASCAR fans, Kyle Bush died. And it was kind of a shock. That kind of happened out of nowhere, but um, you know, he had a wife and two kids. The one was 11, and I think the other one was like four. So and his son, they their thing was racing, they raced against each other. Um Kyle was always going to his races, like a dirt track races, and that kind of stuff, and I can't imagine the kind of pain they've been going through. So just keep them, keep that family in your prayers. Um that all of us colleagues they've been racing with for however long he's been racing, um, it's it's definitely taking a toll on people.

SPEAKER_00 1:38

Yeah, I didn't really know him. I've I've never really watched rap race car um a whole lot growing up, but it it is sad, and especially knowing that he has a whole family.

SPEAKER_01 1:52

And how young he was, he was 41. Mm-hmm. Yeah, that's that's too young. But um, anyways, let's let's get into the episode. Um it's episode 19. The internet has made everyone an expert. And you might be thinking, what does this what does this mean? And it just means that you know people get a lot of their Christian wisdom advice from people on the internet, and they truly these people don't know what they're really talking about. Everyone has access to a microphone and platform, and you can watch a 15-second TikTok and think you're qualified to talk about relationships and religion and politics, mental health, etc. Information used to be hard to access, and now it isn't. But everybody lacks the wisdom. There is a big difference with hearing something, researching something, and actually living it. Social media platforms have made it easy to fake everything. So when when you were doing your research on this topic, Josh, um well, what do you think that this topic probably meant?

SPEAKER_00 3:30

Um, to me, you know, everybody has access to internet and um they can look up information on anything they want, and um you know, you can open your phone and you have um dictionaries, encyclopedias, maps, the sources, bibles, research articles, and you have lots of opinions from millions of people all on your phone, all on your laptop. And um the internet is a powerful tool, but it it can also be used two different ways. It gives people access to knowledge faster than ever, but it also gives people access to false information and biased opinions and half-truths. You know, anybody can Google one thing or watch one TikTok, read one Facebook post. They can even ask Chat GBT one question and then suddenly feel like they should speak about it and that they're an expert about it. And the problem is that information and wisdom are not the same thing because just because somebody can repeat something they heard online doesn't mean they truly understand it. And people read um headlines without reading the context, they spread stories without facts, and they speak on situations that they know completely nothing about and um everybody feels the need to have an opinion on everything. And I was when I was doing some research in the Bible, there's a couple of verses that tell us to be careful and observant with what we take in and what we spread. And the first one comes from Deuteronomy 4.6. It says, Therefore, be careful to observe them, for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the people who will hear all of these statutes and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. And the other verse comes from Acts 13, 40. It also says, Beware, therefore, lest what has been spoken in the prophets come upon you. And to me, those two verses remind reminded me that discernment does matter, and in today's world, people are quick to repost, gossip, argue, and educate others online without even taking time to understand what they're saying, if it's true or if it's false. And the internet has made it easier than ever for gossip to spread like wildfire. You know, one person gets the false information and they can twist a story, another can repost it, and then suddenly millions of people believe something that they've never researched for themselves. And um social media is a good is a very big tool that has created a culture where confidence is mistaken for wisdom, and the loudest person in the room is often viewed as the smartest in the room. But being loud is not make you right, and also having the access to information does not automatically make someone wise. So information can be easier to find, but it also makes humility harder to find, if that makes sense.

SPEAKER_01 7:20

Well, you know, you can't learn every aspect of your life through a high highlight reel on social media. A lot of people believe watching three short videos makes them an and un makes them understand an ongoing issue. But in uh in all reality, it truly takes time, failure, experiences, listen, and patience to truly have wisdom on things. People don't just have their own opinions anymore, they subtly become them. The internet teaches people to defend their story at all costs before admitting they were wrong. Instead of going I'm wrong, as but to I have to win. And think about the division this is caused in our society. Information is everywhere, but wisdom is rare. Knowing facts doesn't mean you know how to live. The wisest people aren't viral, they don't go live every night, and they don't post motivational reels. Wisdom can be more quiet than anything. Algorithms feed you but you already interact and agree with. So people stop learning don't don't stop learning, but stop learning and slow down and get more reinforced in your own opinions and your own ideas. Do your research have your own and create a strong foundation with your own. Nobody listens, nobody questions themselves, and everyone thinks they're right. This is why everyone gets so extreme online over time. Biblically and wisdom go each other instead of I already know, it should be teach me. James 119, it says, Wherefore, my beloved brethren, that every man be swift to hear, so to speak, so to wrath. People have become quick to speak, they have become slow to listen, and they've been quick to anger. So don't be TikTok university graduates, stop cracking a stance on issues after one reel. Don't listen to relationship-based birds who've never had a real relationship. Just because you can speak on everything doesn't mean you should.

SPEAKER_00 10:14

Yeah, it don't make you qualify.

SPEAKER_01 10:17

Informed isn't the same as being transformed. The internet gave us all a voice, but not everyone has gained the wisdom.

SPEAKER_00 10:34

Boom. Boom, boom, and boom.

SPEAKER_01 10:41

I feel like this was a a good little quick little mini episode, you know. Um it's just a it's just it's just pretty much straightforward. Uh issues. It's a lot of issues we see today.

SPEAKER_00 10:55

Yeah. I know a lot of times that's how rumors and gossip and misinformation can get spread, is because without having the right information and without having discernment, you know, stuff like that happens.

SPEAKER_01 11:17

And you have to be careful too, because there are some people out there, I'm not gonna name their names because they're famous people. Um to do your research, but um they weren't real they weren't Christians really. Um and he decided to get into it and he read a couple verses and he automatically thought he knew everything. And why everybody else was wrong? Um he has a podcast. Um his name is Tucker, by the way. Um TC. Um you know, and I'm not gonna knock anybody for trying to learn everything, but at the same time, you know, wisdom comes in time. And you gotta take time to know what you're talking about. And it's the willingness to learn and adapt. It's not just pe it's not just you know, you read a verse and you go, oh, I know what that means. That that that actually means like sitting on it and waiting on it and doing research. You know, not just I read it, I see what other people think, and I think that most people are wrong. But you know, there's gonna be people like that, and you just kind of gotta brush them off and brush them off, and if it's the right uh circumstance, correct them and just move on with your life. If they still want to believe their own thing, then let them believe their own thing.

SPEAKER_00 13:15

Mm-hmm. It's just always important to use discernment. Discernment is very important.

SPEAKER_01 13:25

Anyways, that's gonna be the end of the episode. Um go back sure get follows on the socials. And I haven't really been good with potion and stuff lately, but I've been training a new job and I've been kind of busy. Um it's coming back, I promise. We coming back and we're gonna be better than ever. Um if you're on YouTube, if I was Snapple music or podcast, my bad, we don't sing. Um, Josh might. I mean um we never know. If we made albums from us singing in the shower, you know. Yeah, that we might be multi, was it Grammys or whatever?

SPEAKER_00 14:12

Yeah, I had a four-hour um concert a while ago. It was just me by myself.

SPEAKER_01 14:19

Oh man. But um, but we're actually not all that good singers, so we we're not gonna be on Apple Music, we're on Apple Podcasts. So if anything on Apple Podcasts, make sure to go follow, go subscribe, like a comment on our YouTube. And we hope you enjoyed. Keep seeking your purpose.