For you page: Centering spiritual purpose in the digital world

The internet connects us in unprecedented ways, and provides a window into the lives and minds of a global community. TikTok has over 150 million users in the USA alone, with more than 50% of users between ages 13-34, indicating just how important the platform is in young people’s lives. It is a main source for entertainment, marketing, social media, community, and even news. Platforms like TikTok offer opportunities and challenges that can help us learn about meaningful conversations with broad communities we otherwise wouldn’t have access to in our physical spaces. We are able to carry the voices of millions in our pockets, which begs the questions, how should we navigate these complex and vibrant digital landscapes and show up mindfully as we strive to align our paths to the central purpose of serving humanity? 

This insight from the Universal House of Justice can help: 

“… Indeed, the Internet is a manifestation of a development anticipated by the Guardian,  when, in describing the characteristics of a unified humanity, he foresaw that a “mechanism of world inter-communication will be devised, embracing the whole planet, freed from national hindrances and restrictions, and functioning with marvellous swiftness and perfect regularity.” Yet, learning to utilize the Internet in a manner conducive to material and spiritual progress is an immense challenge.” 

– The Universal House of Justice, Department of the Secretariat, 9 October 2015

Four Bahá’í youth share insights into their experiences as they build virtual communities, aligning content to academic and professional pursuits, and staying true to their Bahá’í identities.

Bios: 

Leleda Beraki | 22 | @leleda
Originally from Asmara, Eritrea, Beraki grew up in Botswana before moving to the U.S. at age 10. She received her undergraduate degree in biomedical engineering from Yale, where she is pursuing a master’s in health policy and global health. Beraki uses her online platform to raise awareness and explore discourses around health equity, mental health, cultural experience and everyday life. 

Juliette Ruhieh Clark | 22 | @tandmsurf
Clark is the CEO of Tandm Surf, a family founded small business that took off via the television show “Shark Tank.” She aims to joyfully bring people together through her products and social media presence, offering learnings and insights into what it’s like to run a business as a Gen-Z professional. 

Julian Cauzae | 23 | @juliancauzae
With a background in climate communications, Cauzae is currently pursuing a master’s at Harvard Divinity school, with the goal of finding spiritual solutions to climate change, learning to communicate across worldviews, and exploring how our beliefs inform everyday actions. He creates videos on TikTok with the goal of sparking meaningful conversations online. 

Sophie Rutstein Ansari | 30 | @scribbledbysophie
Sophie is a multimedia artist who uses social media as a platform to prompt meaningful conversations, share personal insights, and inspire reflection. She artfully explores topics such as creative practice, daily life as a Bahá’í, motherhood and relationships. She is also a co-host on the podcast Podcrushed, and experiments with creating spaces online for collective creativity.  

A Unique Learning Opportunity  

American Baháʼí: What role does social media play in your life? 

Leleda: Social media has taught me to disseminate information in a way that is easily consumed by a lot of people. You’re learning how to take a large topic and create a 15-second conversation, because attention spans online are much shorter. As someone pursuing public health, I know that messaging is so important as it really impacts how people will perceive different medical interventions.

Sophie: Social media is my calling card and public resume. Any job I’ve gotten in art and media has been because someone happened upon my artwork online. It hasn’t just supported my career, it’s the reason I’ve been able to work as an artist at all. Given that the Internet allows for the instantaneous dissemination of content among growing multitudes, wisdom and self-discipline are required.

Leading with Authenticity 

AB: How do you stay true to yourself online?

Leleda: Demonstrating vulnerability and authenticity. Showing that [anyone] can be struggling, confused or having a hard time – giving the message, “You’re not alone in those experiences.” A lot of what I’ve done online is talk about how hard it’s been for me as a Black woman in predominantly white spaces. Showing that everyone doubts themselves sometimes or feels out of place can be really comforting, and make you feel like, “OK, I can do this too. It’s OK to feel this way.”

Coherence & Centering Service 

The period of youth presents the unique chapter of seeking coherence between studies, work, social and family life. In Bahá’í thought, coherence means integrating all the aspects of one’s life into a harmonious whole. Searching for coherence between career choices and service to humanity takes mindful reflection and action. When youth learn to live a life of service to humanity, a tenet of Bahá’í life, they avoid false choices like choosing whether to grow their careers or contribute meaningfully to prevalent social discourses online. Whether through business, art, education or personal reflection, we can approach social platforms with intention. In this way, social media can become a tool that helps us express coherence.

AB: How does social media fit into your understanding of coherence as a Bahá’í? 

Julian: My initial mission in creating my TikTok was to talk about religion and climate change in a meaningful way. I think about how we can speak in a way that generates unity of thought and unity of action towards accomplishing environmental sustainability goals. If we’re trying to address the problem of climate change, we can’t just [attempt]material, economic and technological fixes. We need to have a deeper spiritual understanding of the world and more conversations with that perspective.

Sophie: It’s important to me to create content that is thought-provoking, reminds people of our shared humanity, and is a source of hope and inspiration. Our innate attraction to beauty and creativity is a noble impulse and I hope that the videos I create might stoke that impulse.

Leleda: I first started using social media in tandem with my academic journey, documenting my life, lessons I learned, and challenges I faced. It has evolved and become my journal about my relationship with family, my hair, and with communities that I value. It’s hard for me to de-tangle which decisions are my own and which decisions are informed by being a Bahá’í because they’re just so intertwined. A lot of what I hope to do with my academic background and social media content is to serve and uplift African communities that have had so many health inequities and lack of services.

Juliette: I wanted to have a balance online of creating more than I consume [and for] my social platforms to reflect who I actually am. Once I started using social media as a tool for my personal and career goals, to truly connect with others and share a message, I felt more coherence with social media. I’m most motivated by the fulfillment of having a realized mission and a direct impact through my business, versus being motivated by profit. Our surf boards are something tangible that bring people joy, which is a service.

Talking about the Faith Online 

AB: How does being a Bahá’í inform how we show up online? How open have you been able to be about your Bahá’í identity online? What factors affect this transparency?

Leleda: I’ve always done small things, like a Bahá’í quote in my Instagram bio. The Faith also comes up around Holy Days like Ayyám-i-Há and Naw-Rúz, when I’m sharing the events of my daily life. Sometimes me sharing about the Faith prompts people to ask questions and I’ll respond through a video or  in the comments. Particularly when Ethiopians and Eritreans see me, they are shocked that I am a Bahá’í. I think it prompts people to dig a little deeper and understand the diversity within their own community in a way that they hadn’t before. 

Sophie: The ability to reach a relatively large number of people with the content that I post gives me the opportunity to weave in Bahá’í concepts so people can have access to the wisdom enshrined in the teachings of Baha’u’llah and apply the concepts in their everyday lives. I am relatively open about my Bahá’í identity online, making content about Bahá’í Holy Days, speaking about the Bahá’í Faith on my podcast and occasionally reposting Bahá’í content. But I am somewhat cautious of how much I talk about the Faith. I don’t want people to ever confuse my sharing with proselytizing, so I try to sprinkle it in without bombarding people. I will admit that lately, the current intersection of social media and politics has me feeling quite hesitant to post much of anything, religious or not.

Julian: Something I think about is the separation of “me,” versus “me being a Bahá’í” – this idea of religion being sort of a private matter that one can segregate from the rest of life. That idea is not in alignment with how I think of myself. I want to reflect a coherent understanding of being a Bahá’í in my content. In regards to climate, the broader international environmental movement is realizing that they need to engage with religion because this secular materialist framework isn’t working.

Juliette: I’m really grateful that I have the Bahá’í Faith and the Writings to ground me. It makes my driving forces for being on social media strong, in the face of materialist forces like making money.

Building Communities

AB: How do you approach building community in a virtual space? 

Our identities and communities extend and expand online. On one hand, we are certainly able to reach people we otherwise wouldn’t be able to. On the other, it is important to remain grounded in our “IRL” ( communities. Challenges for deep connection arise when audiences grow. Sometimes a digital community can feel much more one-sided,  such as through parasocial relationships between audiences and content creators or celebrities. There are of course limitations, but also new opportunities. 

Leleda: A lot of the conversations that I [lead] on social media either come from things I’m experiencing or that I’ve thought about as they relate to my identity, like navigating predominantly white spaces [as a Black woman in] engineering, which has been traditionally inaccessible to marginalized communities. I talk about resources that people in similar positions can use to access these spaces and present myself as a resource for people to reach out to if they need support. I’m grateful I can reach more people than I could ever reach in person.

Sophie: Building community online is tricky. I don’t believe that I’ve succeeded in this regard. I’ve had meaningful interactions with many individuals one-on-one on social media, but there are limited opportunities to interact as a community. In my mind, I visualize it as many strings, all reaching from me to various individuals… but community building would require strings stretching between those individuals as well. Group video calls on Patreon are probably the closest I have gotten. Virtual spaces can be great for making initial connections, but there is something special about in-person connection that simply cannot be replicated online.

Julian: Through TikTok, you certainly are able to reach people who you might not otherwise have reached. But what does online community mean and what are the potential positives and negatives? How can we move people from online communities, perhaps through discovering an interesting video, into getting connected in the real world? We know that people desire meaningful conversations, communities and connections. In many ways, the Internet allows for the creation of communities that have never existed before.

Juliette: I would like to build a community within spaces [for founders], because business can feel really competitive. Having that mindset of wanting to collaborate and build true friendships when networking feels very tied to service. It’s why I really love interacting with the digital community of other founders and entrepreneurs, uplifting one another in a positive way. 

Challenges

Being mindful of the limitations and challenges of digital platforms is essential for navigating online spaces thoughtfully. Key considerations include the impact of comparison, materialism, competition, and the addictive nature of social media. Online interactions often only capture fragments of a person’s identity, and algorithms can create echo chambers. Navigating how to contribute meaningfully to discourse can be tricky online, as discussions often become polarized, leading with anger rather than constructive dialogue. Staying grounded in real life and guidance from Bahá’í Writings can help us navigate conversations. 

AB: What advice can you give about staying coherent on social media?

Leleda: Keep in mind that things we put online are permanent. Be careful not to get swept up in negative conversations.

Sophie: Challenges online include the push to grab people’s attention quickly, [which] can sometimes prevent meaningful stories and messages from reaching an audience. I think reducing complex issues and ideas to sound bytes can be harmful. I try to be intentional and ask myself, “Why am I posting this?” when I feel like my motives might not be totally pure. I know that my “true self” is made up of whatever attributes of God I am able to reflect, so I try to honor that in what I post.

But it’s also OK not to post. There is a social pressure to speak on every issue and make your position known. I feel the pressure too! The September 30, 2024 letter from the National Spiritual Assembly is super helpful around this topic. When in doubt, go back to the guidance [and] the Writings. We are so lucky to have so much of it.

Julian: Be mindful of how you judge success. What is a successful video to you? TikTok can be a tricky game with the algorithms, especially if your metric is engagement because that will likely lead you in the direction that the app wants you to go, and can influence the type of content you make. [Have] confidence and believe that you are capable of contributing [meaningfully] to public discourse. There’s so many different avenues towards contributing.

Juliette: You also don’t always get results from posting right away. Stay consistent with it. Social media is not a tool to be taken lightly. [Speaking] as someone who studied data science, it’s important to talk about the ethics around these platforms. I hope these platforms center more around community service, education and bringing people together, versus just people trying to make money and get famous. 

Finding Your Voice – The Power of Youth

Digital media is in many ways a new language for expression, and one that we all can use. The Universal House of Justice also refers to the importance of the language we use, stating, “Bahá’ís should embody moderation, courtesy, and humility in any discussion in which they take part—whether in person or online.”

Having intentionality for the type of content you’re creating or sharing is crucial. The digital world presents an unparalleled opportunity for youth, as they learn to participate in global discourse. 

AB: With this guidance in mind, how can you find and express your vision authentically online? 

Juliette: I want to serve my generation, the next generation of builders, by inspiring people online who may want to start something of their own or feel empowered to also take a non-traditional career path. It’s so worth it to me when anyone says my posts have inspired them.

Leleda: The biggest advice I have for other Bahá’í youth is recognizing that your unique contributions and opinions are so valuable and important to what this world will become. We can provide perspectives that those older than us, although they have wisdom, may be struggling to think about. We often fail to recognize that the consequences of all of our actions and inactions impact youth the most.

The power in your phone is there for sure, but the power in our minds and our potential is unlimited. We can use social media to do anything, whether that be positive or negative. Knowing it has that power, and that we have that power, is a reminder that we have to take great care in using it. But the opportunity and potential of our generation to use social media in a meaningful way is very exciting!

Juliette: Having that strong sense of self and not basing my entire identity on things that are on social media or my career, is really important. My identity lies in my Faith and my loved ones, my family and friends. If my entire career was stripped away, I would still feel very whole in my heart.

Sophie: The algorithms on social media can be quite finely tuned so that people who are really interested in meaningful content and spiritual ideas are [encountering] videos that they might be receptive to. Bahá’ís who create meaningful content have the opportunity to reach large swathes of people who might be receptive.

To deepen further on this topic: 

–The Universal House of Justice, Department of the Secretariat, 9 October 2015

–The Universal House of Justice, Department of the Secretariat, 26 May 2024