It’s amazing how media plays such a huge role in our lives.

For a half century, I have been working in media in a variety of forms, and I’ve had some good experiences and some bad ones. My major at university was Media Arts, with a specialization in film & TV, with lots of journalism classes thrown in. After college, I was a TV producer/director, and a couple of years later found myself handling press calls from the national media as a spokesman for a U.S. Senator. Later, as a strategic communications professional, I helped clients deal with the media, from newspapers, magazines, radio, and TV. Then along came the Internet, and with it, bloggers and the ever-expanding world of social media. The Internet turned the average person into a citizen journalist, which is why we are bombarded by a cacophony of opinions (including my own, I must admit) and data overload (aka as TMI – too much information).

Just as the Internet can be a blessing (i.e. making it faster and easier to find information), it can also be a curse (e.g. online pornography). And social media can be a blessing (e.g. reconnecting with childhood friends from high school or college), but also a curse (i.e.  becoming an obsession where we broadcast our every thought and move to the world).

At the risk of offending people, I really don’t care to know from social media that you are getting a latte at Starbucks or sitting in traffic on the Interstate. I have little interest in seeing the food on the plate you are about to devour. I tend to tune out rants and rages of friends and family who probably should keep certain opinions to themselves to avoid looking like an idiot. As Proverbs 17:28 reminds us, “Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.”

But of all the things that trouble me the most about social media is how it has created a seismic shift in the human condition, namely that it has made people who are naturally selfish to become even more self-centered and self-absorbed than ever. It seems like everywhere you go, you will see someone taking a picture of themselves — a “selfie.” Somebody should do a study to determine what percentage of photos on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or Snapchat are “selfies.” I bet it’s more than 25%.

Now don’t get me wrong, sometimes a “selfie” is perfectly fine and lets us enjoy seeing snapshots of you and the important people in your lives. But there are some out there who are out of control with selfies. I have one “friend” on Facebook who probably posts a “selfie” a day, and in most cases to highlight her cleavage. I’m actually getting rather sick of seeing these “look at me” images and am tempted to hit the “unfriend” button to end the pain.

It’s no accident that the word “ME” is in the middle of social MEdia. This technology is creating narcissistic monsters all around us, even turning people we once thought to be humble, delightful men and women into proud, braggadocious bores. Social media has not only changed how we communicate, but changed who we are, and not for the better in most cases.

In Ecclesiastes 1:2, the writer sends this warning to all of us: “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.” Well, what does vanity mean? Vanity comes from the Hebrew word “Hebhel,” which is “breath.” It basically means “vapor.” As the Scofield Bible notes, “Vanity in Ecclesiastes, and usually in Scripture, means, not foolish pride, but the emptiness in final result of all life apart from God. It is to be born, to toil, to suffer, to experience some transitory joy, which is as nothing in view of eternity, to leave it all, and to die.”

In other words, our 15 minutes of fame on social media will soon pass away like a vapor in the wind. But so will our lives. Listen to what James, the half-brother of Jesus wrote: “For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” Or how about Psalm 39:5, which says, “Everyone is but a breath, even those who seem secure.” And then there’s Isaiah 2:22, “mere humans…are as frail as breath. What good are they?”

So what is the antidote for vanity? I think the Apostle Paul put his finger on it. He tells us in Philippians 2:3, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves.” This is great advice for life, and even better guidance for our social media activities.

The writer of Ecclesiastes gives us this bottom line analysis about life — “Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty. God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)

So the next time you are about to say or do something, including a social media post about your life, ask yourself, “Is this for my glory or God’s.” You might be surprised by what you do — or don’t do — next.