We no longer live in simple times. Even the Church has recognized social networks and similar media as something that can take away our focus from God.
Yes, it's astounding and frightening to understand the degree to which outwardly-focused energy, especially with social media that and so much else that comes to use through flat, two-dimensional screens, pulls our awareness from (should I say "destroys our awareness" of) God's living presence.
I started an experiment years ago--ten years, in fact--of paying attention to the radical difference between what is presented to me on screens via news and social media and what I see before me with my physical eyes. News and social media presents a dire picture of a world in peril, a world, as one friend put it, "full or rampant violence and hatred." It was that phrase, in fact, that started this experiment, because I figured, "If such things *are* rampant, then I should see direct evidence of it."
So, I began watching. In the first 18 months, when I was still traveling for business, I estimated that I crossed paths with several million people--in airports, sports stadiums, on roadways, in stores, etc.--and did so in a number of cities in the US and Europe. I was even in Bucharest, Romania, the day after the terrible Collectiv nightclub fire that claimed the lives of dozens of young people, including friends of people I knew. People were grieving, scared, and upset, yes, but they were not violent nor hateful. One of my most beautiful memories is of visiting the scene of the tragedy a couple days later and seeing the 10,000+ candles.
During those 18 months, I kept looking for evidence of this rampant violence and hatred, because, again, if it is rampant, it should be everywhere. But I didn't see a *single* such incident in all that time, nor have I seen any since even though I've continued to travel around quite a bit (for example, I spent two weeks in Egypt shortly after the Israel-Gaza war started).
But the lack of evidence is not what astounded me. What astounded me is just how frequent I saw the exact opposite: acts of kindness, love, generosity, understanding, patience. Yes, I saw impatience and upset and those kinds of emotions, but in most cases they were understandable reactions to, say, long lines at an airport. But they were not violent or hatred. What's really rampant is kindness and love.
Oh, but I have to say, there is *one* place I did see violence and hatred: on TV screens and other devices where such acts were cherry-picked and greatly amplified to make them appear as if they're "normal" and common in the world. It's a lie, a terrible lie, driven by the simple fact that media companies make money by keeping eyeballs glued to these screens, and the best way to accomplish that attention is through fear.
So, kudos to the Holy Father for drawing attention to the matter of social media addiction. Fasting from the never-ending stream of fear is powerful and, indeed, soul-saving.
Yes, it's astounding and frightening to understand the degree to which outwardly-focused energy, especially with social media that and so much else that comes to use through flat, two-dimensional screens, pulls our awareness from (should I say "destroys our awareness" of) God's living presence.
I started an experiment years ago--ten years, in fact--of paying attention to the radical difference between what is presented to me on screens via news and social media and what I see before me with my physical eyes. News and social media presents a dire picture of a world in peril, a world, as one friend put it, "full or rampant violence and hatred." It was that phrase, in fact, that started this experiment, because I figured, "If such things *are* rampant, then I should see direct evidence of it."
So, I began watching. In the first 18 months, when I was still traveling for business, I estimated that I crossed paths with several million people--in airports, sports stadiums, on roadways, in stores, etc.--and did so in a number of cities in the US and Europe. I was even in Bucharest, Romania, the day after the terrible Collectiv nightclub fire that claimed the lives of dozens of young people, including friends of people I knew. People were grieving, scared, and upset, yes, but they were not violent nor hateful. One of my most beautiful memories is of visiting the scene of the tragedy a couple days later and seeing the 10,000+ candles.
During those 18 months, I kept looking for evidence of this rampant violence and hatred, because, again, if it is rampant, it should be everywhere. But I didn't see a *single* such incident in all that time, nor have I seen any since even though I've continued to travel around quite a bit (for example, I spent two weeks in Egypt shortly after the Israel-Gaza war started).
But the lack of evidence is not what astounded me. What astounded me is just how frequent I saw the exact opposite: acts of kindness, love, generosity, understanding, patience. Yes, I saw impatience and upset and those kinds of emotions, but in most cases they were understandable reactions to, say, long lines at an airport. But they were not violent or hatred. What's really rampant is kindness and love.
Oh, but I have to say, there is *one* place I did see violence and hatred: on TV screens and other devices where such acts were cherry-picked and greatly amplified to make them appear as if they're "normal" and common in the world. It's a lie, a terrible lie, driven by the simple fact that media companies make money by keeping eyeballs glued to these screens, and the best way to accomplish that attention is through fear.
So, kudos to the Holy Father for drawing attention to the matter of social media addiction. Fasting from the never-ending stream of fear is powerful and, indeed, soul-saving.
Thank you for posting this.