Collide: The Evils of Twitter and Facebook (HT: Sivin Kit)
Interacting online is bad, bad, bad. It is impersonal, and you only do it because you are shallow and like to avoid real life-to-life interaction.
In fact, in the past two months I’ve heard this at least a dozen times from conference speakers and pastors, or I’ve read it in books, magazines or blog posts. It seems to be a belief people are increasingly adopting.
During a conference I attended recently, we were strongly encouraged in the opening session to lay aside blogging, texting, and tweeting during the two-day experience. “Just be in the moment—don’t let yourself get distracted,” the moderator challenged. The advice was evidently ignored because when we came back that night no one was allowed in the auditorium with their electronics. Happy helpers took our phones from us at the door. ...
... Obviously, sending an email does not replace sitting with someone in a time of crisis. And being their friend on Facebook does not have the same level of intimacy as physically picking them up out of the gutter.
But these are straw man arguments made by people who are either afraid of the medium, don’t understand it, have seen people abuse it, or are just ignorant of the value. Whatever the reason, when I hear it I get a little embarrassed for the speaker or writer. It’s like watching someone early last century arguing against people who used cars to travel from place to place. “People who drive are trying to avoid the face-to-face interac¬tion you get from walking down the sidewalk and stopping to chat with the neighbors sitting on their front porch. Do you want to get places faster at the expense of spending time with people?”
If you heard that, you might pull the speaker aside and tell him, “Embrace reality. Don’t be so afraid of change.”
I’ve never heard anyone claim that social networking should replace life-on-life relationships. Quite the opposite—the time I spend in online communities enhances my real-life relationships. ...
In fact, in the past two months I’ve heard this at least a dozen times from conference speakers and pastors, or I’ve read it in books, magazines or blog posts. It seems to be a belief people are increasingly adopting.
During a conference I attended recently, we were strongly encouraged in the opening session to lay aside blogging, texting, and tweeting during the two-day experience. “Just be in the moment—don’t let yourself get distracted,” the moderator challenged. The advice was evidently ignored because when we came back that night no one was allowed in the auditorium with their electronics. Happy helpers took our phones from us at the door. ...
... Obviously, sending an email does not replace sitting with someone in a time of crisis. And being their friend on Facebook does not have the same level of intimacy as physically picking them up out of the gutter.
But these are straw man arguments made by people who are either afraid of the medium, don’t understand it, have seen people abuse it, or are just ignorant of the value. Whatever the reason, when I hear it I get a little embarrassed for the speaker or writer. It’s like watching someone early last century arguing against people who used cars to travel from place to place. “People who drive are trying to avoid the face-to-face interac¬tion you get from walking down the sidewalk and stopping to chat with the neighbors sitting on their front porch. Do you want to get places faster at the expense of spending time with people?”
If you heard that, you might pull the speaker aside and tell him, “Embrace reality. Don’t be so afraid of change.”
I’ve never heard anyone claim that social networking should replace life-on-life relationships. Quite the opposite—the time I spend in online communities enhances my real-life relationships. ...
Yeah, I understand the danger that we never shut our minds off and just listen for God. But if we're attending their session this obviously isn't a private quiet time. I understand them reminding us to put our devices on vibrate so there aren't noise interruptions, but insisting you turn them off (or leave them at the door!?!?!) does cause the person to lose a little credibility as someone relevant in today's world.
Posted by: Brian Proffit | Jul 24, 2009 at 12:01 PM
The danger is that the technology will come to dominate us. While those of us who were around prior to these technologies see them as being potential enhancements to our incarnational relationships with others there are many for whom this is the main framework within which interpersonal relationships take place.
Marshall McLuhan and Neil Postman remind us that technology is not neutral.
Posted by: neil | Jul 24, 2009 at 12:53 PM