Even though I'm a millennial, I have embraced my inner curmudgeon. For instance, I never got what my late father in law called a twit-book, which is what he called all social media, account...except for Facebook, but I never use it. This has kept me from falling off the cliff of insanity with the rest of the world. The problem is, the entire world fell into insanity and I didn't get it, at all, until hearing about the "echo chamber" of social media.
Now, I keep wondering when everyone, including me, but especially we Christians, will wake up to the failed experiment of social media and the smart phone. They're just bad for us. Anything that distorts the beauty of the world around us and love of our fellow Man, is obviously bad for us.
I am a cranky conservative but I remember sitting at my grandma's table and having all my aunts rail against the patriarchy. When they left to go smoke, leaving my grandma and me alone, I heard my grandma let out a little sigh and say quietly to herself, "I miss the patriarchy." I feel that way about a lot of things. I miss the world before the smart phone.
We can't go back now but recognizing and reaching towards some good that that "old world" had isn't a bad thing either. The healthy question has to be, how do we recover the good that we lost and integrate it into a world that has changed? And the answer is always through prayer, Christ, and the love of our neighbor. The golden rule is the answer to everything. It's how we realize it in our lives that troubles the healthy soul.
I’m ashamed to admit I’m growing weary of the “use social media for good” campaigns. After being logged out of instagram for 1.5 years now, I’m somehow still shocked by the “belched up” contents. The trained social media brain seems to convince otherwise perfectly normal people to think that seriously unfunny videos are hilarious, seriously insincere apologies are virtuous, seriously small events are crises, etc. And after spending more time walking in God’s World than Social Media World lately, I’m having a hard time not wishing I could snap my friends and family out of this hypnosis into the real, the true, the good, the beautiful.
This is the problem—in *principle* I absolutely accept the “use it for good” arguments. In *practice* I find it almost impossible! Really interesting conflict for me between theory and reality.
Beautiful letter. I think it is indeed “possible to bring the light of joy into even the late hours of this tech-sick world.” Maybe it’ll manifest in a different manner than what we’ve seen in the past. I remember your Dad saying something like, “Because Christ came into this world through a Man, I can’t believe that the best of us can be enhanced through technology.” I think in a similar way, by us seeing the worst parts of the world online, it can bring turn us back to look inward at our souls, where God can do His best work in us.
Another breath-taking letter. You made me wonder, is Twitter (X) a palimpsest of our real lives? I had to leave Twitter. It darkened my eyes and heart.
I think maybe the world as we see it is a palimpsest of the world as God made it. Or something. We layer on our vision as co-creators—for better or for worse.
One: I'm an ENGLISH major for crying out loud. And yet you all forced me to look up the meaning of "palimpsest" because I haven't come across that word before. I honestly thought it was some kind of food like "Ratatouille." What I get, I suppose, for being in GenX.
Two: Call me a biblical end-times...realist? I feel like what Jesus said in Matthew 24 is coming true in front of our faces, and it was largely enabled, or at least accelerated, by technology. It almost makes me think that when God destroyed the tower of Babel that THIS is the situation He wanted to avoid. And now we humans have insisted on going our own way, so we are getting what we asked for. Certainly not all of us, but I mean the world at large.
As for the book of Revelation, obviously I don't see us living that, yet. But you can see how to get there from here, and that's disturbing, because I couldn't 20 years ago.
Anyway, I don't mean to bring full doomsday into this thread, this was a great article and reminder of why I enjoy my own long walks and hikes. I don't see any way back to the pre-internet days of the 90s. I never would have thought we would have been so thoroughly crippled by it. I really would like even a day where my "smart" phone is locked in a basement, and I could just set out on my own for a while. Something to think about.
Keep on doing your great writing Spencer, you're not alone.
I am old enough to remember a world without technology. And when it came about, it was slow moving - I programmed with punch cards, so I find it easy to escape. I spent Saturday with my childhood friends and we never looked at our phones - only to take pictures. The world is a beautiful place and I feel blessed that Jesus has called me to be the light.
Hey! So you don’t like being online…here…with all of us! I see how you are. Harumph! 😂
Hahahaha present company excepted of course!
Fair enough. ☺️
Even though I'm a millennial, I have embraced my inner curmudgeon. For instance, I never got what my late father in law called a twit-book, which is what he called all social media, account...except for Facebook, but I never use it. This has kept me from falling off the cliff of insanity with the rest of the world. The problem is, the entire world fell into insanity and I didn't get it, at all, until hearing about the "echo chamber" of social media.
Now, I keep wondering when everyone, including me, but especially we Christians, will wake up to the failed experiment of social media and the smart phone. They're just bad for us. Anything that distorts the beauty of the world around us and love of our fellow Man, is obviously bad for us.
I am a cranky conservative but I remember sitting at my grandma's table and having all my aunts rail against the patriarchy. When they left to go smoke, leaving my grandma and me alone, I heard my grandma let out a little sigh and say quietly to herself, "I miss the patriarchy." I feel that way about a lot of things. I miss the world before the smart phone.
We can't go back now but recognizing and reaching towards some good that that "old world" had isn't a bad thing either. The healthy question has to be, how do we recover the good that we lost and integrate it into a world that has changed? And the answer is always through prayer, Christ, and the love of our neighbor. The golden rule is the answer to everything. It's how we realize it in our lives that troubles the healthy soul.
I’m ashamed to admit I’m growing weary of the “use social media for good” campaigns. After being logged out of instagram for 1.5 years now, I’m somehow still shocked by the “belched up” contents. The trained social media brain seems to convince otherwise perfectly normal people to think that seriously unfunny videos are hilarious, seriously insincere apologies are virtuous, seriously small events are crises, etc. And after spending more time walking in God’s World than Social Media World lately, I’m having a hard time not wishing I could snap my friends and family out of this hypnosis into the real, the true, the good, the beautiful.
This is the problem—in *principle* I absolutely accept the “use it for good” arguments. In *practice* I find it almost impossible! Really interesting conflict for me between theory and reality.
"Yes" to all of what you said. I think it's time for us to do media "fasts," in order to clear our heads to hear the voice of God.
Beautiful letter. I think it is indeed “possible to bring the light of joy into even the late hours of this tech-sick world.” Maybe it’ll manifest in a different manner than what we’ve seen in the past. I remember your Dad saying something like, “Because Christ came into this world through a Man, I can’t believe that the best of us can be enhanced through technology.” I think in a similar way, by us seeing the worst parts of the world online, it can bring turn us back to look inward at our souls, where God can do His best work in us.
Another breath-taking letter. You made me wonder, is Twitter (X) a palimpsest of our real lives? I had to leave Twitter. It darkened my eyes and heart.
I think maybe the world as we see it is a palimpsest of the world as God made it. Or something. We layer on our vision as co-creators—for better or for worse.
Okay, I have two things to say here.
One: I'm an ENGLISH major for crying out loud. And yet you all forced me to look up the meaning of "palimpsest" because I haven't come across that word before. I honestly thought it was some kind of food like "Ratatouille." What I get, I suppose, for being in GenX.
Two: Call me a biblical end-times...realist? I feel like what Jesus said in Matthew 24 is coming true in front of our faces, and it was largely enabled, or at least accelerated, by technology. It almost makes me think that when God destroyed the tower of Babel that THIS is the situation He wanted to avoid. And now we humans have insisted on going our own way, so we are getting what we asked for. Certainly not all of us, but I mean the world at large.
As for the book of Revelation, obviously I don't see us living that, yet. But you can see how to get there from here, and that's disturbing, because I couldn't 20 years ago.
Anyway, I don't mean to bring full doomsday into this thread, this was a great article and reminder of why I enjoy my own long walks and hikes. I don't see any way back to the pre-internet days of the 90s. I never would have thought we would have been so thoroughly crippled by it. I really would like even a day where my "smart" phone is locked in a basement, and I could just set out on my own for a while. Something to think about.
Keep on doing your great writing Spencer, you're not alone.
"...what Jesus said in Matthew 24 is coming true."
We are to be watchers.
Matthew 24:42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
Matthew 26:41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
1 Peter 4:7 But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.
Well said!
I am old enough to remember a world without technology. And when it came about, it was slow moving - I programmed with punch cards, so I find it easy to escape. I spent Saturday with my childhood friends and we never looked at our phones - only to take pictures. The world is a beautiful place and I feel blessed that Jesus has called me to be the light.