The Age of Lust and "Brainrots": What Can Orthodox Christians Do on the Internet Today?

The "Brainrot" phenomenon is dominant on the internet today—not just in bizarre-looking avatars, but in most of the things we see online. The way people behave and present themselves has the same unsettling effect on me as bizarre avatars with AI voices. After scrolling through my Instagram for a while, I often ask myself the same question: What did I just watch? The way people pose in their pictures and the music they listen to often remind me of the "Brainrot" we see all over the internet. These trends perfectly reflect the state of the fallen world we live in. As Orthodox Christians, we are called to be not of this world. (James 4:4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.)

What should we do? Should we disconnect ourselves from all of this useless and bizarre information? In a sense, yes. But not from the internet as a whole, otherwise you wouldn't read this. Many converts are coming into the Church because of the internet. But we should guard ourselves from the harmful content. Unless you are using Instagram to evangelize and share the Orthodox faith, I believe Instagram and TikTok bring nothing good. The only things I saw on social media were lustful and bizarre content—easy to consume, yet even easier for it to consume you. That is why I deleted all the social media except Reddit and X, since I am in control of what kind of content those apps are showing me. I think X is a good app to be connected with the world, while Reddit is useful for reading about the experiences of people regarding any topic. YouTube is a mixed bag since cheap content can still pop out here and there. But the Orthodox content uploaded there will make up for it. I recommend these channels: harmony, Trisagion Films, Patristic Nectar, Patristix, Fr. Spyridon, Fr. Moses, Fr. Paul Truebenbach, Seraphim Hamilton, Orthodox Wisdom, Holy Resurrection, and last but not least Orthodox Loner.

After deleting Instagram and TikTok, my screentime dropped immensely. Now I am using my phone for 1.5 hours a day, which I find amazing. My phone is simply no longer interesting to me, and I can kill two birds with one stone. I am spending my time being more productive, and I am no longer exposed to lustful content. Another good way of using the internet is for education, productivity, and learning. That is why I am starting this blog. I have more free time and want to connect more with you. That being said, I don't think much more is of use to us. It is better to stay off the rest of the internet. We need to guard our senses, especially our eyes.

St. John Chrysostom: “The eye is the door of sin. Therefore Christ commands us to pluck it out, not that we should mutilate ourselves, but that we should cut off the things that bring us evil thoughts. For if we do not stop our eyes, we introduce a wild beast into the soul.” (Homily on Matthew 17:6)

St. Isaac the Syrian: “Be at peace with your own soul; then heaven and earth will be at peace with you. Strive to enter the treasure chamber that is within you, and you will see the things that are in heaven. For there is but one single entry to both: the bodily senses are closed off by the passions, but when the soul is purified, the gate opens and you see the things that are within.” (Ascetical Homilies, Homily 2)

Saying goodbye to old habits is hard, but the reward is great. Pray without ceasing, and do not act as the world does. (1 John 2:15-17 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.)