UPDATE: An absolutely great resource on technology and the many ways Christians are affected by it: Don’t Eat The Fruit. Be sure and listen to the Is Technology Neutral? presentation.
A bunch of things that occurred to me today, all related to the internet and what we do on it and with it.
1. It strikes me that the predominant sins in this medium are narcissism and waste. We need to differentiate narcissism from various kinds of legitimate self-revelation, but we need to proclaim that narcissism is a sin many of us are absolutely exulting in.
And waste is waste. Time. Affections. Work. Mental energy. Significance.
2. Was that first moment of excitement that came along with self-publishing (wherever you did it) a good thing? Was it “Hello? Anyone else out there?” Or was it “Now, the world will know about ME?” Or was it something else? I remember it. Compuserve. The SBC Forums. And then the first versions of my blog, which was about the Gospel of Mark. And the first emails that someone was reading. I was thrilled, and I wanted more.
Was all of that a good thing? Or was there seduction in there as well?
I know the answer to that question, and I just don’t like to think about it.
3. The temptations of this medium are so near to us we ought to be seriously intimidated. It used to take work to see pornography, ruin a reputation or even to waste time. Now, you can corrupt your character and waste your day far beyond what television ever made possible, just by sitting in a chair and clicking. And we are all so confident that having this amount of dynamite in the house is manageable.
You now have access to all the worst information and worst habits and indulgences in the world. How are you doing with that access?
4. What has it done to marriages? Do you ever notice that people seem to be saying stuff over the net that they probably are not saying to their wife/husband, pastor, real friends or anyone else? I don’t want to overdo that. My wife doesn’t need to hear all my thoughts on theology. But there are people in the same house, sitting in separate rooms, talking on computers to people in other houses doing the same things, and not talking to one another. At Christmas, when we finished opening the gifts at the grandparents house, all the younger members of the family whipped out the phones and starting checking mail and texting. It was very quiet.
5. Theology students: Have you worked out how a student behaves as compared to a teacher? Do you have a personal commitment to living out the difference between an amateur and a professional? The internet has allowed every theology student in the world- the bright ones, the not so bright ones, the ones with amazing things to say, the ones with nothing to say- to all have a web page with a Latin title infested with posts about the importance of expository preaching, the problem with N.T. Wright and the good news that some of their professors agree with them.
It’s too much, boys. Too much. Most of your professors are rarely heard from in this medium. (I’m not saying that’s a good thing. It’s just a fact.) But vast numbers of you are buzzing away like a swarm of theological locusts. I believe in free speech, but let’s find some of the status of a student, and let’s embrace it with a commitment to sound like a student.
I have a favorite blogger who is a one of the finest theological minds I’ve ever encountered. I carry several pages of some of his posts in my satchel all the time.
He quit blogging. He said he was a student.
6. But here’s the other thing. Why do I listen to so many people on the internet that I really do not want to hear from or about?
Don’t get me wrong. I like these people. I do. Really.
I just don’t care what they are eating. Or what their kids are saying. Or what store they are at. Or what chore they just started. Or what they are studying or what music they are listening to. Or a hundred other perfectly normal, good things that I really do not need to know and shouldn’t be reading about anyone. The Pope. Obama. LaBron. Anyone.
Imagine if ten years ago someone had said “We have a new service where you can get a recorded message from any and all of your friends telling you what they are doing at that very moment. It will come by phone.”
The idea of your phone ringing all day to tell you that Bob was at the grocery would have sounded like a nightmare.
Well…..here we are.
I started calculating today how much my Twitter client and Facebook status checks cost me in time (if I have them on) while I’m working.
I’m 52. I do not have this kind of time. And neither do you if you are 18.
It’s too much. It’s not community. It’s not socializing. It’s too much. There are things I need to do. Books to read and write. People next door and in hospitals and shut in to talk to. Letters to write. Thoughts to think. Dreams to dream. Music to listen to. (And I can do all of this without taking another two hours of my day to tell you all about it.)
Yes, I bear some guilt, so stop wagging your finger. I’m just thinking here.
7. Some of you are surrounded by people who are on the net or twitter of facebook all the time, so you can talk about these things in the real world. But I’m not. Everytime I catch myself saying the words “internet friend” I hesitate. What did I just say? What does that mean?
A bunch of my best friends are people I never see. Is that good?
I say things like “there’s a controversy in the blogosphere about….,” and I realize that for most of the people who hear that, I might as well have said “There’s a controversy on Saturn.”
Is this good? Is this “social networking?” Really? Why does it feel like I’m spending a lot of time listening for something that I know good and well isn’t worth the investment of time to listen for it.
8. I know. I sound like I’m selling buggy whips. This medium has been very, very good to me, and here I am grousing about it. I just don’t think we’re thinking about it much.
We’re googling, not thinking. Not reading. Not asking questions.
We’re given these immense tools, and we’re not using them all that well or wisely. Some of us are doing a much better job than others. Please teach the rest of us how to be better stewards. Or how to repent.
There are real treasures out here, and I do not deny that or have any plans to abandon the good uses of the medium. But we no longer live in a time when anything is just one thing. Any one thing, especially in the world of technology, is actually many things, and it always demands of us more thought, more careful engagement, more willingness to sacrifice and more calls for honesty.
Your constructive thoughts are welcome as well….
The Internet Monk Archives 
Of course, some time is wasted, but I find it great for building friendships with folks with common interests. The best message board/forum is for the blood type diet (dadamo.com). I am constantly learning & helping others thru that one. I learn better in small chunks, so going online is helpful to learn things.
It is also as prayer conduit. I ask for prayer & get prayer requests that I can pray for on the spot.
It is great for networking. It saves time in phone calls to e-mail.(I don’t get put on hold & others aren’t interrupted at critical times.) Letter writing takes too much planning; e-mail zaps the info or question to the person. If there is a misunderstanding, e-mail is faster to clarify it.(I would be too lazy to write another letter!)
I am new to facebook & love it. But I limit the amount of friends & add them slowly.
The ability to get much info easily can be a blessing or a curse. If I were younger, it would be difficult to manage that. But at my age, I limit the main topics I indulge in. Right now they are nutrition/alt. med, politics, gay issues, & religion. I am a big fan of the Marin Foundation & keep up with that. I’m sure that organization wouldn’t grow so fast without the internet!
They say that users of this media are introverts & loners. I am a people person who thrives on interaction with others. But I can’t do that often in a big city with long winters, with most women friends working, & a protective husband! But I sure do enjoy my internet community as it grows!
Sure there is evil stuff out there, but there is so much good, that I haven’t had a problem with that yet. Pray I don’t as I know the enemy tries to trip us up, especially if we say we don’t have a certain problem!
I’m sure there is more, but that’s it for now.
Mrs “T” Chicago
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Students should publish with some awareness that they are students, and not pontificate like they are professors. — IMonk
On the Internet, nobody knows if you’re really a dog.
Or a student.
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Dave R: Not everyone who reads this blog is in the U.S.
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One interesting excercise is to read the time stamps of earlier comments. I keep hearing about how we don’t get enough sleep in this country…
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Hi Imonk,
I just read another blog where Marian devotion was being argued. It made me appreciate the even handed, serious but diplomatic inter-faith conversations that are made possible by your moderation. Thank you.
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Michael,
I believe all this to be like a two edged sword. It cuts both ways. Technology simply cuts the time involved in assimilation of information. I have used it to learn much needed things more quickly. Yes, there is some time waste, but even that can be put to good use.
Many people I think have simply shifted their time wastes from TV to internet. Ratings are down, internet use is up. Greater freedom has resulted, both the freedom to do good and evil.
I’ve read many testimonies from people who dived head first into Twitter, Facebook, blogging, etc., who have realized they don’t work for them. So, there is some discernment out there and some real soul searching. On the other hand, idle net chat has turned into some real fellowship for me, face to face.
Also, I blog about things I don’t talk to my wife about first. But she reads it. It’s awkward having that “birds and bees” talk with her, you know, “Honey, I want to discuss with you how your view of lapsarianism affects your ecclesiology.” She reads it and sometimes it leads to conversation. It has drastically cut down on that question, “what are you thinking?”
Finally, I admit talking to strangers about certain things, because I know I won’t be judged by prejudices of those closer to me. Strangers can often be better listeners.
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I realized a few weeks ago I had a choice. I could use my newly stable, post-house buying, post-marital challenges, post-grad school free time to learn how to write the novels that have been rattling around in my head since a teenager…or let my life be sucked into a cacophonous abyss of tweets, blogs, second lives, facebook games and other nonsense. Something tells me my finite time on this planet could be put to better use with the former than the latter. I unsubbed over half my rss feeds and plan to dump more (not iMonk though–you have at least one devoted agnostic reader and you are extremely thought provoking and challenging, especially when I disagree with you). In addition, twitter has been dialed back to a dull roar, and facebook gets checked a lot less. I use one service that syndicates updates to all my social sites, but honestly I fond I have a lot less to say, now that I’ve taken the advice of a good friend who is also a published author, unplugged my modem, and spent at least half my evenings with BICHOK (Butt in chair, Hands on Keyboard). And if you’ll excuse me, I think I’m gonna do that now. Thanks as always for the reality check. π
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Students should publish with some awareness that they are students, and not pontificate like they are professors.
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I don’t get the part about theology students. Are students not supposed to publish, according to your religion?
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“The area I struggle in is not in updating my status so everyone can know when I brush my teeth.”
The best status I’ve found is to put up an iChat status that says “Leave a message”. It doesn’t say I’m available or not but if there I see the window pop. I can then respond or not.
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“As for reading encyclopediasΓ’β¬Β¦ right there with youΓ’β¬Β¦”
Well now I know there were at least 3 of us.
And my wife thought I was nuts when I bought a set of the 1945 World Book Encyclopedias at a yard sale. The year I was born. π
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I realized a few weeks ago I had a choice. I could use my newly stable, post-house buying, post-marital challenges, post-grad school free time to learn how to write the novels that have been rattling around in my head since a teenager…or let my life be sucked into a cacophonous abyss of tweets, blogs, second lives, facebook games and other nonsense. Something tells me my finite time on this planet could be put to better use with the former than the latter. I unsubbed over half my rss feeds and plan to dump more (not iMonk though–you have at least one devoted agnostic reader and you are extremely thought provoking and challenging, especially when I disagree with you). In addition, twitter has been dialed back to a dull roar, and facebook gets checked a lot less. I use one service that syndicates updates to all my social sites, but honestly I fond I have a lot less to say, now that I’ve taken the advice of a good friend who is also a published author, unplugged my modem, and spent at least half my evenings with BICHOK (Butt in chair, Hands on Keyboard). And if you’ll excuse me, I think I’m gonna do that now. Thanks as always for the reality check. π
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So good, so true and so convicting. I am teetering on the edge of deleting my Facebook account. The area I struggle in is not in updating my status so everyone can know when I brush my teeth. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever updated my status. My problem is that I get so annoyed with all the little shallow tidbits that I don’t really need to know, yet I am still addicted. I can’t seem to stop logging in to see who watched what tv show last night, who went swimming today and who misses their boyfriend. It’s like reality tv…hopelessly annoying and shallow but in some way it’s still addicting.
On the flip side, God has used certain blogs and websites (including this one) to speak some much needed truth in to my life over the last few years. So, I am convinced that God uses Google :).
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iMonk,
I’ve been following your blog for a couple of months or so now – when two unconnected friends sent me a link to the article about the coming evangelical collapse. I actually have plans to begin a blog and/or a web presence before too long, and I’ve begun to read several bloggers such as you and other bloggers that you’ve led me to.
This post about the internet is dead on and important. I live in a small missionary community, and people complain about the lack of community. I’m in charge of tracking and billing for our internet usage, and facebook regularly takes up close to 50% of our total usage. Our potential for community is being sucked up in an ethereal internet community.
WordPress.com advertises over 50 million words written per day. When has Eccl. 12:12 ever been more true?
At the same time, I value access to the thoughts of other believers (even as students). I’ve not agreed with all that you’ve written, but I’ve benefited from hearing it. One thing that I’ve noticed – it seems many bloggers are negative or critical. It is too easy to set up a forum and begin to criticize. One thing I encourage is for all of us to make use of our time providing things that edify, encourage, and build up the body.
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This is probably a bad time to congratulate you on winning the “Best Blog By A Heretic” in the “2009 Cannonball Catholic Blog Awards”, so?
http://thecrescat.blogspot.com/
And now that I’ve done my bit for ecumenism, I depart π
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I used to spend *much* more time posing on blogs (and Youtube and message boards) than I now do. However, I have recently signed up for Facebook, and I have to be *very* careful about the amount of time that I can spend there.
There are some wonderful aspects to the internet and all of the information that is now available (I’m 35– I remember life before the net), but I do wonder if they are ultimately worth the cost. The nation’s collective attention span seems to be rapidly shortening. As a college graduate in English (with a minor in philosophy and religion), I find that I myself struggle more with reading full-length books than I once did– and even longer poems. This is not good.
However, as a physically disabled person who is unable to drive and who currently lives in a state which does not have the greatest public transit, the internet has provided me opportunities to enjoy communication and culture that are simply difficult for me to come by in my everyday life. It’s a trade-off, and one about which I do have definite misgivings… but I’m still not willing to disconnect my internet, am I?
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i’m a new author. a blogger. blah blah blah. social media butterfly. people actually called me that and i liked it.
sunday i pulled the plug on facebook. not the “hmm…deactivate and maybe i’ll come back.” but delete.
i just said goodbye to 2500 of my closest “friends”
and by friends i mean people who would potentially buy books.
i was using it very narcissisticly and god recently kicked my butt over it.
after a “lent” fast from all things web 2.0, it was so difficult to come back…
good stuff.
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Thanks Michael, as always. Yes, blogging and social networking are addictive, and seductive, and all the rest. And like ProdigalSarah, I wouldn’t dream of looking at porn but can spend hours drooling over yarn, beads, antique books… I’ve seen the danger.
And yet: I find a level of conversation online that I just can’t get elsewhere. My Facebook keeps me involved in the lives of old friends and my nieces in Europe. Twitter has its uses. I don’t want to just turn my back on them, the way I did on computer games a few years back. Computer games gave me nothing, but I get so much out of communicating with others. Especially now that family circumstances are making it harder to go work outside the house.
I know which aspects of my online life are the real timewasters, and I’m trying to do something about it. I remind myself every day to step away from the computer, and go outside and live. Twitter and Facebook are on my phone, but only when I want them to be – I have the phone set up so that nothing but actual phone calls comes through unless I open the application. I turn the computer off at dinnertime and spend time with the family. I’m trying. And with every new seduction I know I’ll have to try harder.
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Once a year I go camping with my sons to Boy Scout camp. No computer – cell phone in case of an emergency (my wife only – really ticks off the folks at work). I may not have to detoxify as much as other folk – although I work creating software, I don’t have a blackberry, I don’t have a facebook page or my own blog site, I don’t twitter, I don’t have instant messaging up all the time, I don’t text because I find it annoying – so I don’t have as far to go to get unplugged. What is wrong with me…(I like swinging a hammer though and sitting under a tree in the middle of a forest preferably by a mountain overlook).
As for reading encyclopedias… right there with you…
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Good thoughts Michael. i think this is a topic worthy of consideration. I wonder if we aren’t allowing technology to slowly dehumanize us to the point that we won’t know how to have real conversations? As many things, it’s important to stop and ask these kinds of questions and create some kind of balance in our lives. This is another area where the monastic tradition has a voice that needs to be heard, I think.
Pax.
Bryan
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I’ve put some self-limitations on some of my internet stuff. For example, left unchecked, I’d spend several hours a day posting on forums. I realized I wasn’t getting work done, so I usually don’t even check ’em anymore. Every now and again there’s a couple I’ll go to. I’ve got two myspace accounts: one for my music and one for personal use. These days I maybe check ’em twice a week. I just don’t have anything to say on ’em right now and I certainly don’t need to read half of the crap my myspace friends say. Same with Facebook. I HATE Facebook. I realized very quickly that it wastes my time, has an annoying interface, and serves little more than to be an outlet for old schoolmates I don’t remember to send me billions of app requests.
On the other hand, I get freaked if I don’t have MSN messanger running most of the time. And if I go more than a few days without playing my MMO of choice, I get grouchy. Lord help me if I don’t get my allotted weekly GCW points in Star Wars Galaxies!
I do like having Wikipedia. When I was a kid, I’d surf my folks’ encyclopedias the way I surf Wiki. While I know not to trust everything on there, it serves as a Tier One point of curiosity. If what Wiki says interests me, I’ll start exploring the real sources.
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The internet is a quick source of information, not all of which is accurate, and a good place to exchange ideas. It is also a great time-waster, and a good place to avoid real relationships. Instead, we can have fantasy relationships with people weΓ’β¬β’ve never met. If anything is not to our liking, we can instantly delete the relationships.
It is also an excellent opportunity to gather information about countless people who post unbelievable amounts of personal info online. Do you really know who is collecting the info on the social networking sites (and others) and the purposes for which they plan to use it? Once youΓ’β¬β’ve put the info out there, it is impossible to retrieve, and the possible consequences impossible to avoid.
A friend who is in the internet security business gave me some priceless advice a few years ago – Never post anything online (or visit any site) that you would not want to see printed on the front page of tomorrowΓ’β¬β’s newspaper (if youΓ’β¬β’re mistakenly arrested this afternoon for some major crime, that is where it will be), including who you dislike, misdeeds you have done and personal info, including info that can be used to gain access to your bank accounts & credit cards and steal your identity. Have you inadvertently posted the answers to your Γ’β¬Εsecurity questionsΓ’β¬Β on Facebook?
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Blogging: essays about what I’m pondering this week.
Facebook: notes about what I’m doing lately.
Twitter: “I just went poopie!”
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Excellent post Michael. I gave you grief several weeks ago, and now I must commend you. The idiocy I and many around me have oftentimes displayed with use of the Internet needs to be questioned straight on. Thanks for bringing this up.
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Imonk, very important topic, although fraught with irony as we all weigh in with the very means we are discussing/criticizing. I recently heard the question put this way: we consider how we use technology, but do we ever consider how the technology uses us?
DSY
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I think being online is bad for the heart. Discussions get contentious, especially about political topics. People who grew up with the internet will all probably start dying of heart attacks around the same time as they reach middle age, most likely in the middle of an angry online exchange about politics or theology.
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You know, I have never once looked at porn or felt the slightest desire. However, I have wasted hours on Amazon looking at products I wished I could afford.
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As Oswald Chambers reminds us lust means Γ’β¬ΕI must have it right now.Γ’β¬Β — Prodigal Sarah
Or as George Carlin put it, “I WANNA”.
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A great point Headless Unicorn Guy Γ’β¬Β¦ which is not, I think, a phrase IΓ’β¬β’ve ever typed before. — Myrrdin
I originally developed the point trying to defend a subculture I’m involved in which is also porn-heavy.
In that subculture, the porn was a symptom. The underlying problem was “fanboy tunnel vision”, so locked into the fandom that mundane reality no longer existed. Since nothing exists outside the fanboy’s obsession, there is no chance of a reality check or wake-up call. With that level of tunnel vision, you can drift into total psychotic unreality befor you know it.
In fiction, this was approached by a lot of Cyberpunk in the Eighties; there they called it “cyberpsychosis” or “whitesiding”, when you go so far into Virtual that you detach completely — and possibly permanently — from reality. (In fiction, this was often expressed through cybernetic implants/enhancements to the point of a Terminator, where “machine became better than meat” and the cyberpsychotic came to look upon “meat” as subhuman aliens.)
In a way, it’s a techological Gnosticism. Except that the “pneumatics” are detached from reality into the Net instead of into Spiritual Secrets.
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Headless: Γ’β¬ΕLift your sights higher, Scott. The Standard Christian denunciation and fear of the internet is all about Internet Porn. Despite the song from Avenue Q, porn is NOT the main issue. ItΓ’β¬β’s a symptom. The most obvious symptom. The underlying issue is time, trivialization, and wasted energy. And detachment from physical reality, diving into the Virtual world of the Net to the point the real world doesnΓ’β¬β’t exist to you any more.Γ’β¬Β
And this is true of our mobile technologies in general.
On afternoon while walking I passed a young mother pushing a stroller with one hand while chatting on a cell phone. Two grade-school aged children walked at her side. Silent. Ignored. I imagine the message they received was their motherΓ’β¬β’s frivolous phone conversation was more important than their day at school.
I wanted to snatch the phone from her ear and say, Γ’β¬ΕDo you have any idea how quickly these precious children will grow up? These days matter. Let them tell you about their day.Γ’β¬Β
Porn may be the most obvious symptom but the cell phone can be just as addictive and distracting. As can so many other temptations of the Internet.
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Good thoughts, but I didn’t get through everything. I don’t have the time…
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As Oswald Chambers reminds us lust means Γ’β¬ΕI must have it right now.Γ’β¬Β
Lust may have absolutely nothing to do with sex. Lust can be anything that we must have right now. This Internet certainly feeds this lust for all things Γ’β¬ΛnowΓ’β¬β’ in a thousand different ways. This is certainly a problem and potentially dangerous.
On the other hand the Internet permits those who live in semi-isolation to exchange ideas with people they would never have an opportunity to meet or interact with otherwise. This is a real blessing.
I think it is a good thing that people with a wide variety of views in Christianity can read and discuss other views. Narrow-mindedness and extremism grow best in isolation.
I view the Internet as a mixed blessing. It contains every means to entice and take captive the worst of my nature. It also provides countless opportunities for those traditionally isolated by society, whether by geography, lifestyle, age or disability to communicate and learn.
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I heard a quote one time that I think is so telling and very unforgettable to me. A native was speaking of missionaries and said, “The missionaries used to be outside with us. Now they are always inside with their computers.”
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I fully admit my blog is all about me. Me me me me me. It’s what I do in lieu of therapy: I rant, I vent, I get stuff out of me. I tell people all the time (including on the Internet) that the real me is a lot happier, friendlier, nicer. In part because my blog helps me process the junk and get it out of my system.
Of course, if you read nothing but stuff like that, four hours a day, God help you.
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A great point Headless Unicorn Guy … which is not, I think, a phrase I’ve ever typed before.
Christian engagement with the emerging and evolving world has to go deeper than the moral diagnosis, but as I read what you wrote, I was struck by just how apt a metaphor pornography is for the kind of broader malaise you describe.
What can we do???
Anyone out there with a step towards a better future than what might be if people did nothing?
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IΓ’β¬β’m scared to death of the internet. Whats going on out there with pornography is absolutely terrifying. — Scott
Lift your sights higher, Scott. The Standard Christian denunciation and fear of the internet is all about Internet Porn. Despite the song from Avenue Q, porn is NOT the main issue. It’s a symptom. The most obvious symptom. The underlying issue is time, trivialization, and wasted energy. And detachment from physical reality, diving into the Virtual world of the Net to the point the real world doesn’t exist to you any more.
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I believe time is the main factor. I use the interenet to find information quickly. Your blog is the only blog I spend any time at and mostly as a lurker since it takes time to actually participate. I actually like to talk to people – but not over this medium so much. I would rather do it in person where I can observe and also pick up non-verbal queues.
Intellectually, I know I need to spend time with my wife and our relationship – even when I don’t want to. I do computers for a living so I’d rather swing a hammer on my off hours. This medium has brought me much information quickly and conveniently, but I think for many others it has brought isolation, the lack of human connection. Think about it – for all we know answers to our online correspondance could be generated by some artificial means- and we’d all be fooled – eh? Or by folks wanting to live out the person they want to be – not who they are.
My thoughts…
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Silence, humility and poverty of spirit (expressed by listening,letting go of opinions or needing to express them constantly)are in short supply these days.
The excesses of technology and the way we allow ourselves to be shaped by it, is helping to put them on the endangered list at a time when we need them desperately.
Thanks for this post, Michael. I would look forward to more from you on this.
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OK, you’ve struck a deep, deep chord here and one that I hope resonates out into reality …
Thank you, Michael.
I particularly like this line:
“There are things I need to do. Books to read and write. People next door and in hospitals and shut in to talk to. Letters to write. Thoughts to think. Dreams to dream. Music to listen to. (And I can do all of this without taking another two hours of my day to tell you all about it.)”
but only because it is so well followed by this one:
“Yes, I bear some guilt, so stop wagging your finger. IΓ’β¬β’m just thinking here.”
This is our world and we must remain incarnate in it — in the real world, not in our fantasy of it. And that means internet, cell phones, etc.
But how to do it well?
My chief concern with all of this (including what I’m doing now, so ditto to the finger wagging) is the opportunity costs.
Here’s a snippet from a morning prayer I delivered at my school last year:
“It doesnΓ’β¬β’t matter who wins American Idol or Dancing with the Stars. It doesnΓ’β¬β’t matter whether or not you win your fantasy sports league, keep your Sim-city going or move your way up the rankings in FacebookΓ’β¬β’s Γ’β¬ΕNever Ending Movie Quiz.Γ’β¬Β
“But it does matter if you let creation slip back into chaos because you didnΓ’β¬β’t care enough to create!”
If anyone is interested in reading more, you can find it here.
I would love to hear what people think.
As a faculty member at an academically rigorous school with a mission to create a culture of learning, I consider this one of the chief concerns of the next 25 years.
Though I can’t adopt everything Wendell Berry would really like us to, I would also recommend to everyone his “Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front.”
The last line brings me to tears and then cheers of exultation every time I read it.
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iMonk,
You know, the topic of narcissism is one I’ve had to face recently. I started to post essays on my beliefs online, just to sort of sound out communities and see if I could find a heart in a similar place out there I can talk to. As I posted these essays and got comments, responded to them, etc., I found that I was getting addicted to the attention. “I’m building a readership,” I thought, vainly.
Well, I’m backing off. My thoughts will still be written down, as I’m terribly addicted to the mental organization that results from having studied a subject enough to write about it. I just don’t know that the results will be posted publicly too often.
As to the all-too-present temptations of vice available on the internet, I’ve done battle with that already and come out the victor, with Christ’s help.
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Hmmmm…. you’ve almost convinced me to quit blogging.
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“Now, you can corrupt your character and waste your day far beyond what television ever made possible, just by sitting in a chair and clicking.”
Too true – good post, benn thinking along these lines lately but it’s helpful to see you develop the thought further.
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Our church’s facebook page is the best communication tool we have going. It beats newsletters, emails, the website and announcements before the service. We’re an everyday presence in the lives of our friends.
If they post that they’re struggling with something, we’re there with prayers. If they’re doing something great or cool, we ‘like’ it. They get scripture or pictures or activity announcements from us on a daily basis.
Being able to interact with our congregation/friends is priceless. Imagine if these blog posts were snail-mailed or emailed to us. How less rich the learning would be!
Andy is right on target. It took about 200 years for the industrial revolution to make it from textile mills in Scotland to a man on the moon. We’re only about 20 years into the internet revolution, so buckle your seat belts.
Time — our concept of it is changing. We’re no longer dependent upon someone else’s schedule. I got my MBA online – I was accepted to a great program but dropped out before I started because my wife was pregnant and I didn’t want to spend the time away. Instead, I was able to do my classwork at midnight, and at lunch, and early in the morning before she got up. I was able to make the knowledge transfer adapt to my schedule, rather than vice-versa.
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If it were not for the internet, I mostly wouldn’t have anybody to talk to.
Really, even with the internet, I’m mostly alone. It just FEELS like there’s an outlet.
There don’t seem to be any particularly good answers. I do know that I met my wife on the internet, that I have a lot of the friends that I game with because of the internet, and that the majority of Christians I can engage in any kind of conversation with are over the internet.
I would prefer to have those friends and conversations in RL. But I don’t. And likely never will.
I think that with regards to the accessibility of porn and other elements…it’s like everything else. I choose to go there, or I choose not to. And then live with who I am as a result.
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I got on Facebook several weeks ago and bitched about Facebook, heh π About the size of it, the soundbytedness of it, the narcissism of it all. And a couple of people responded who I knew would respond, but no one else did. Some people didn’t know what the hell I was talking about.
We’re so quick to let our stuff shape us. Thanks for writing this post. It’s difficult to read but seriously, it’s a worry.
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What you’re describing with the Internet is a phenomenon that is similar to any other vein of medium and technology coming together, at least going back to the printing press. Can you imagine bringing Gutenburg back today and showing him a supermarket checkout line and Cosmopolitan magazine. Somebody surely said of his invention, “More than one book?” First, I can’t read. Second, who’d have time to read a whole book.
Women said that to Elias Howe about the sewing machine.
Without fail, somebody comes into my office and asks, “Have you READ all these books?” Of course not, but I bought three more yesterday.
Remember three channels on the TV? And the president being on all three of them? Now my high-def satellite network has a gazillion channels on them, and I still watch 3-5 with any regularity.
Every advancement of technology, along with its impact on spiritual, relational, and intellectual life, must be re-thought, reconsidered, and reflected upon if we’re to stay healthy and vibrant. As such, your post is refreshingly honest and a healthy reminder to stay healthy. And without a doubt, within a generation, we’ll be having this same type of conversation about some other type of “life improvement.”
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I think you’re right to ask questions about the medium, and I also think that, ironically, the best way to do so is in blog format. Oddly enough, the article-length blog post, because of content’s race to the bottom on the Internet, has in some ways become a reactionary medium. To write enough words to constitute a brief essay is a bit of a statement in the world of Facebook status updates and Twitter.
I suppose I’m one of the fortunate ones in this respect–I’ve been able, so far, to play on my RSS feeds and comment on blogs in the morning, then go teach and read and write by 9:00, rarely thinking about the Internet until later in the evening. I realize that Facebook is like a strong drug that way–there’s no telling when I might become a stereotypical dope fiend–but so far, I’ve been lucky.
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“I sound like IΓ’β¬β’m selling buggy whips.”
I’d never heard that expression before. See, internet can be educational. And it can most definitely be another way to “Turn on, tune in, drop out”.
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Oh, and I carefully control which twitter updates actually go to my phone and which ones I only scan when I have a moment at my computer to see if there was anything useful. Mostly it’s the real life network of friends and local info sources that get to my phone.
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I got pulled into twitter more than a year ago because a number of my real life friends started using it. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the added dimension of connection. And I found that I followed a few of their friends whom I didn’t really know just to get both sides of exchanges. Until my recent diagnosis with celiac, I used it pretty much for that and for information gathering (such as following the local newspaper). I’ve found it another valuable tool for gathering information about celiac and feeling connected to some sort of larger ‘community’ (for lack of a better word). But I have never cared the slightest bit how many followers I have.
As far as blogging goes, I’ve actually technically supported and managed the hosting of a few blogs (for friends) for some years now. I never had any particular desire for one of my own, especially given the somewhat private aspect of my nature. I started one post-diagnosis because I work through things by writing. And since celiac was forcing me to be ‘out there’ every time I go somewhere where there is food, I thought I might as well do some of that on a blog. But once again, I don’t have any particular desire for some huge audience. My friends read the thoughts I write. And that’s plenty.
I’ve been participating in and running, largely in technical arenas, online lists and forums (and usenet before it was ruined) of various sorts since the very early nineties and BBSs for longer than that. Such things are still a tremendous resource for technical information. (I am a programmer by profession.) Yes, there is a danger in such things if you allow them to control or drive your life. But that’s true of a host of things. Balance and priorities are good things.
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I read somewhere (wish I could remember where) that all you just described is like “reverse stalking”. Think about it, if a solitary, unknown person could recite to you those banal things about yourself–“what store they are at. Or what chore they just started. Or what they are studying or what music they are listening to.”–you would be freaked and called the police. Yet people broadcast such trivial stuff about themselves, hoping that anyone is paying attention.
I’m a former IT jockey, love technology, yet I refuse to Twitter or Facebook for all the reasons you describe. I really don’t think my everyday personal life is interesting in the least, plus I don’t want to use my time announcing such pointless stuff.
But the technology is not the problem. As a fundraised missionary, I maintain a separate blog and my spouse does Facebook, all to keep in touch with our supporters. And it works. We keep the communication on point and don’t announce banal stuff.
Modern society is the problem. It shapes how we use such technologies. When I last lived in the States, advertising used such phrases as “you deserve”, “your way”, “make it your own”, “it’s all about you”, etc. It’s no wonder our first reaction to Twitter/Facebook/Blogs reflects those thoughts.
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when i said “lacking in humanity ” i did not mean that it is cruel but that blogging only builds virtual communion and communities and loses the personal and human element of intimacy and friendship.
just wanna correct myself
peace
alvin
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the greatest thing about you iMonk and about your blog/posts is that you are so very honest about who you are and where you are in you spiritual journey. this is why i visit this site everyday. i believe the church benefits a lot from your posts and points of view. even if there is a lack of humanity in this activity, i think the value it has and the impact it makes will resonate in people and “real” communites. so please continue. have a blessed day! you can tone down the anti-calvinist/reformed a little though and say some positives on them/us if ever you find one… as to the the others in the so-called blogosphere…
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I also commit a lot of typo sins.
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For me it’s mostly a time-waster. In fact, I know I blow a lot of time a work just checking my RSS feeds… which then turns into reading articles… And then all of sudden I’m not actually working at all.
I have tried to blog, but usually find I have nothing much to say. I am currently in the middle of trying to read the Bible in 90 days and have been blogging my thoughts as I go through it.
Narcissism does creep in. I purposely post links to my Facebook because I feel like my friends need to be exposed to certain things I believe are true. I probably annoy a lot of them… π
And then occasionally I get into debate with bloggers about where Joyce Meyers needs to repent and give most of her money away. π
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Narcissism… you’ve nailed the biggest problem with current online trends for me. When I realised I was only updating my Facebook status because I wanted my “online friends” to think I was funny or whatever, I stopped doing it altogether. The only reason I haven’t deleted my account is that it has enabled me to keep in touch or reestablish contact (in “real life”, that is, not just online) with people that I otherwise would never have seen. So it’s not all bad… but a lot of it definitely is.
Not sure if you’re allowed to link here… if you Google for “twitter + supernews”, you’ll find a video on youtube that illustrates the point quite well (if you haven’t seen it already).
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I’m scared to death of the internet. Whats going on out there with pornography is absolutely terrifying.
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