…It is important to remember what can be done without computers, and it is also important to remind ourselves of what may be lost when we do use them.
-Neil Postman, Technopoly, p. 120
Postman wrote that line before the proliferation of the internet and cell phones. But I digress. This post is really a stream of consciousness, thinking out loud sort of post. But, hey, what are blogs for if you can’t do that?
The above statement is part of Postman’s description of what he calls ‘technological modesty.’ Technological modesty runs counter to brute technological optimism, or the idolizing of technology, if you will – which is essentially what Postman calls ‘technopoly.’
I do actually think that the term sums up exactly how I feel about our present need. We need to call people to technological modesty. We are not calling them to abandon technology of course. We are calling upon them to be modest in their views, expectations, and actual use of digital tools and the like. My position has come to be this (basically): that we (Christians) are to be in the business of subtle subversion to lead people to a more modest view, and use, of technology.
All of that, by the way, has little to do with the technology in and of itself. It has more to do with the kind of Christians that we desire to be and produce. We do not want to become so enculturated that we look like everyone else in our culture. We want to thoughtfully reflect on all of the prevalent elements of our culture; and we certainly want to be more modest about those things than the prevailing culture is.
I was waiting in a lobby at an auto mechanic shop today, while they changed my oil before going on a road trip. Upon entering the room, I surveyed the territory. There were 9 people other than myself, my wife, and my children in the room. Of those 9 people, 7 were on their smart phones, swiping their life away. One of the remaining people was watching the sputtering of a TV in the corner of the room. (The last woman was just staring vacantly, like some great maternal zombie. I credit the children sitting with her for this posture.) Keep in mind that I am not describing a room of technologically infatuated teenagers. There was plenty of gray hairs in the room, looking just as engrossed in their phones as a child with his Gameboy…. only far less happy.
Looking around, I tried to imagine this same room, perhaps 5 years ago, and what these same people might be doing sans smart phones. Then I thought what the room might have looked like 40 years ago, when a TV would not have been included in the equation, much less portable phones of any kind. (This was harder for me, as I did not exist 40 years ago.) The thought experiment caused me to reflect upon how technopoly is a sort of “gaining the world” while “forfeiting one’s soul.”
Of course, those who would protest against what I say, seem to always want to begin by saying something like “yeah, but I just need (fill in the blank)” It seems as though people have some nebulous awareness that grafting their smart phone to their soul is a bad idea, but they simultaneously do not believe their is truly another way for them to achieve their perceived need… atleast not another way that seems so smooth, well marked, and well-traveled.
This awareness of “something amiss” has been a part of our interfacing with TV for a long time now. Most people would agree that on some level, TV is not the best choice to cash in their free time on. Yet this understanding yields no exodus. It is only the first part of a two part equation. If not TV, then what? And can we successfully build a counter-culture that will support such subversive past times? This is the same kind of question we have to ask now of smart phones, laptops, etc. Once we begin to recognize where they have become invasive, we have to start a conversation of “if not _____, then what?” Then we have to communally build support for that. I feel that this is key, if we are going to blaze a trail to “technological modesty.”
I have seen the scene that you describe many times. I once took my daughter to the art museum to a special exhibit of 19th Century art and found that half the people their were looking at their phones instead of the paintings.
Technology gives a whole new meaning to ‘gaining the whole world,’ doesn’t it? I joke sometimes about globes. You can hold one in your hand and say, ‘I’ve got the whole world in my hands.’ How much more so with smart phones. Yet technology so often points us inward instead of outward.
We have to show folks that there are ‘more excellent’ things, a ‘more excellent way.’ But I fear that so much of the modern evangelical church has capitulated to the point that it makes it difficult for the rest of us. By capitulate, I mean that have not only bought into technopoly in their daily lives, but that they have bought into it in church gatherings as well. Many modern churches could pose as small rock concerts. Even the sanctuary becomes a place of technological inundation rather than a place of seeking rest.
I heartily agree.
In regards to displaying/demonstrating a “more excellent way”, I think James K.A. Smith may have some very valuable things to say. He spoke toward such things in his recent talk on Mars Hill Audio, and I’ve found his other talks helpful as well, though I’ve not read any of his books yet.
I read his book, Desiring the Kingdom, a few months ago. I didn’t write about it on the blog because I actually disagreed with the book quite a bit and didn’t want to voice my disagreements. I certainly thought the book was helpful; I just disagreed with it on some central points. I ordered his book, How (Not) to be Secular, a few weeks ago (it’s still on backorder) and plan to read it before the end of the summer. So we’ll see what he has to offer there.