Book Review : Social Sanity in an Insta World

By Renee Emerson

What role does social media play in your life? Have you ever paused to ponder the impact this ‘tool’ has on your time, thoughts and temptations? Who are you following and allowing to influence, teach, encourage or direct you?

While there is much joy, beauty, and creativity to be found online, many of us have experienced a love-hate relationship with these platforms, which has left us feeling disheartened. For us book bloggers, it can be the fear of not having reviewed the latest book, not having relevant books for our audience, or even rating a book differently from someone else! In the larger scheme, social media can leave women feeling utterly depressed, discontented and envious. Instead of logging on and feeling encouraged, excited, creative or hopeful, our energy is sapped, our moods are altered for the worse, and we might wonder why we even bothered! If you can relate, you’re not alone and “Social Sanity In An Insta World” is the right book for you.

“We are all, always, under the influence. The question to ask is, ‘What – or who – is your primary influence?’”

After an introduction describing the way social media is commonly used among women and a brief history of social media, the book unpacks seven areas in which social media affects our lives, all authored by women who have used social media platforms for creatively, influence and sharing the gospel;

• Identity: Embracing Your Limits
• Emotions: Guarding Your Heart
• Discernment: Choosing the Better Portion
• Influence: Following Wisdom
• Relationships: Loving Well
• Rhythms: Reclaiming Your Time
• Decisions: Choosing to Stay or God

These topics are addressed through three facets; positives, negatives and principles, and the book concludes with an afterword from Ruth Chou Simmons on “posting well”.

“When we think of social media less as a place to produce and more of a place where we overflow, the the time spent on any platform stops becoming the destination, and is, instead, the vehicle. Remember that your presence on social media is not primarily about your message, your talents, your mission… It’s about God’s imprint on your life” (137).

This blog post is a snippet from 'Social Sanity in an Insta World' from Renee's blog 'Blossoming Through Books'