A Small Light in a Loud World: Social Media and Sharing the Gospel

Have you ever been scrolling through your feed — lost in the noise of drama, news, and endless opinions — and then suddenly stopped because something different caught your eye? Something that felt quiet in the middle of all that chaos?

That's been my experience more times than I can count. And it's changed the way I think about social media altogether.

Doctrine and Covenants 4: 1-3 open with a call that still feels urgent today: "Now behold, a marvelous work is about to come forth among the children of men." It goes on to say that whoever desires to serve God is called to the work. I used to picture that work happening in chapels and on doorsteps. I didn't always picture it happening on Instagram or YouTube. But here we are.

The Church itself has been a quiet teacher in my feed.

I've come across so many uplifting messages from the official accounts of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — content about the plan of salvation, scripture passages, temple work, and the words of living prophets and apostles. Every time one of those videos stops me mid-scroll, it's like the world slows down for a minute. The fast pace that I've grown so used to just pauses. And in that pause, I feel the Spirit and the love of God.

In a society that seems designed to leave us anxious, content that points us to something higher and eternal is truly a gift.

Then there are the members — everyday disciples doing extraordinary things.

Some meaningful gospel learning I've done recently has come through videos created by members of the Church with a gift for teaching. Gospel principles. Explained clearly and simply. Historical events from the Bible that I found a little confusing finally make sense. These members love the gospel of Jesus Christ and have decided to share what they know.

Elder David A. Bednar, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, spoke directly to this in his 2014 BYU address, "Flood the Earth through Social Media." He invited members everywhere to imagine what could happen if hundreds of thousands of us contributed in seemingly small ways — describing it as "a steady rainfall of righteousness and truth that gradually swells a multitude of streams and rivers." That image has stayed with me. Going viral is not important, but constantly sharing edifying content is.

So what about me?

I've thought about that a lot. What feels true to me is simple: I want to be a small, consistent light. The kind that doesn't overwhelm anyone but is always there. A post that reminds someone they're loved. A comment that chooses kindness. A story or quote that gives someone a moment of peace in the middle of a hard week.

Now, something we can't afford to forget.

For all the good that's out there, social media is also a space where not everything that looks uplifting actually is. Not every account that uses the right words carries the truth. And that matters — especially when it comes to our faith.

Moroni 7:16 gives us a simple but powerful compass: "For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil." That gift is real. And it's always available to us whenever we open our phones.

The invitation isn't to be suspicious of everything — it's to stay connected to the Spirit closely enough that we can feel the difference. When content brings us closer to Christ, that's a good sign. When it creates confusion, contention, or doubt — even if it's dressed in gospel language — that's worth pausing over.

In a world full of noise, the Spirit is still the most reliable filter we have. Let's not scroll without it.