20. Psalm 1 and the Problem With Twitter

What is social media doing to your soul?

In this conversation, John Ortberg and Steve Cuss explore Psalm 1, online outrage, anxiety, reactivity, and the emotional formation happening through social media.

Why do platforms like Twitter/X, Facebook, and Instagram so easily pull people toward outrage, contempt, comparison, and self-righteousness? And what do the Psalms have to say about it?

This episode explores:
- Psalm 1 and “the company of mockers”
- Reactivity and self-righteousness online
- Why Steve deactivated Twitter
- Social media algorithms and outrage
- Meditation, attention, and spiritual formation
- “Relaxing into God’s presence”

This is an honest, thoughtful, and deeply practical conversation about technology, attention, anxiety, and the health of the human soul.

Scriptures:
- Psalm 1
- Psalm 55

#Psalm1 #JohnOrtberg #SteveCuss #SocialMedia #Prayer #SpiritualFormation #ChristianFaith #Anxiety #Twitter #Psalms


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Music Credits:
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00:00 Introduction & Steve Cuss Joins the Conversation
00:52 Social Media, Reactivity & Self-Righteousness
01:38 “One More Statement From Me Is What the World Requires”
02:05 Psalm 1 Begins
03:20 Scoffers, Mockers & Online Culture
04:03 “Thank God I’m Not Like Those People”
04:32 Why Steve Left Twitter
05:16 Psalm 55 & “Violence in the City”
06:13 The Emotional Atmosphere of Social Media
07:23 Trying to Respond With Grace Online
08:11 Algorithms Reward Outrage
09:07 Systems That Amplify the Worst in Us
09:34 Self-Awareness Is Not Enough
10:12 Meditating on Outrage vs. Meditating on God
10:42 “What Street Do I No Longer Need to Walk Down?”
10:56 Closing Prayer