The Social Media Influence Question — How Do Digital Platforms Affect Faith Development?

Digital platforms have become the primary social environment for young Adventists worldwide. With Gen Z spending over 4 hours daily on social media and the global Adventist Church now counting 23.7 million members — the majority in the Global South where mobile-first internet access means social media often *is* the internet — the intersection of digital life and faith formation represents one of the most urgent research questions facing the denomination. This Living Research Project examines the complex, bidirectional relationship between social media engagement and spiritual development among young Adventists. The evidence base draws on peer-reviewed studies from multiple countries and faith traditions, denominational research, public health data, and emerging primary data from Adventist digital ministry initiatives. The evidence consistently shows that social media is neither uniformly harmful nor beneficial to faith development — rather, its impact depends on how it is used, what content is consumed, and whether digital engagement complements or replaces embodied faith community. The amplifier model — where social media intensifies existing faith trajectories rather than independently creating them — has the strongest empirical support. **Confidence Level:** 🟡 Reported — Multiple studies confirm general patterns; Adventist-specific longitudinal data remains limited but the broader evidence base is substantial.