Shane Hipps in his book Flickering Pixels and Craig Detweiler in his book iGods have done a masterful job in wedding the concepts of technology and culture together. Hicks promotes the idea that people should possess a theology of technology and Detweiler claims technology has become our God in the form of technological gadgets, symbols, and images (Apple, Amazon, Google, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, etc.).
I could not agree more. Whereas we humans used to control technology, now it is controlling us. We beckon to its every call (texts, social media, email, etc.). Just hear the sound of the bell, and there we go running like rats to retrieve our devices. The internet has become the all-seeing eye. There are now men who are required to answer their work cell phone that the company gives them 24/7 (what happened to family time). It’s man vs. machine and I fear we are losing the battle. McDonald’s already has produced a machine that can make 4000 hamburgers in an hour (oops, there goes our jobs). And Lord knows what would happen to our businesses and banks if all computers crashed and data could not be recovered.
We should have known this was coming. It was prophesied (don’t take me literally) in two other books written before the 1950’s. Hicks writes, “George Orwell’s 1984 and Aldous Huxley’s A Brave New World . . . are prophetic visions of societies overtaken by technological power. Orwell’s novel introduces us to the all-seeing, always-watching “Big Brother” and warns of a dark future where conformity is guaranteed by invasive and controlling technology. A Brave New World describes a seductive, seemingly utopian future in which technological promise is the succulent but poisoned apple that leads to humanity’s downfall.” Hipps notes this running technological theme in modern day movies such as Minority Report, The Matrix, and I, Robot.
What does the future hold? I do not think anyone really knows the complete answer, but a movie that came out in 1984 may give us a hint. Terminator (think cybernetics, robotics, microchips, etc.) presents a world in need of a savior (John Connor). The AI defense system, Skynet, has a mind of its own and schedules itself to initiate a nuclear holocaust.
H.G. Wells The Time Machine reveals how a man discovers that his vision for a future utopian society is disillusioned after he travels forward into time only to find a dark and dangerous society. The use of certain technology can have disastrous consequences.
The medium (our technological devices) has also become the message whereas the medium used to just deliver the message. Referring to The Matrix, Hicks says, “When Neo studies the medium of the mirror instead of being distracted by his reflection-its content-he is freed from the prison of his mind; it is only when he observes the medium apart from its content that he perceives its true power.”
Technology is one thing. Media is another. Marshall and Eric McLuhan in Laws of Media define media as “anything that stretches, extends, or amplifies some human capacity.” Dr. Tim Elmore in Generation iY has noted how girls in college now shower with their cell phone. For teenagers, the smart phone has, like a hand, become an extended part of their arm. People don’t think they can do without their devices for one day and would rather die than face the consequences of going without.
Devices, left to themselves, are not evil, though many today would say our gadgets have become idols or objects of worship. With the iMac, iPhone, and iPad (I wonder who these are about?), have we turned ourselves or better yet, a projected image of ourselves into an idol-making game?
For the Christ-follower, media and technology in the form of 24/7 news coverage, ever expanding networks, social media, Netflix, Snapchat, etc. can slowly crowd out the spiritual disciplines (Bible intake, prayer, etc.) in the life of a believer as he or she attends to every bell and whistle that is sounded. Jesus warned us of this slow fade in Luke 8:14 when he said some would hear the word but be choked by life’s worries, riches, and pleasure. We must take time to think if our new lifestyle has made us better off. Has it really enhanced our relationship with Jesus and with our fellow man? Might it be time to go back to a simpler way of life?
We don’t necessarily have to become Amish people (resisting all media and technology), but we do need to take a step back and evaluate what has happened and what is going to happen if we do not slow down. We must recognize the power of media and technology and become its master yet again. If we do not, I fear there may be no going back. I do not think we should live in the past, but I do think the past has value and contains some lessons for us to learn from. Somewhere in the middle of all of this, we should be able to find a happy medium!
And oh, yeah, if the world were to blow itself up, we have a Savior whose initials also start with JC!