{"id":22409,"date":"2019-03-22T05:03:54","date_gmt":"2019-03-22T12:03:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dminlgp\/?p=22409"},"modified":"2019-03-22T05:03:54","modified_gmt":"2019-03-22T12:03:54","slug":"the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly\/","title":{"rendered":"The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly"},"content":{"rendered":"

It was refreshing to read another Cal Newport text this week – Digital Minimalism.\u00a0 <\/em>His premise of \u2018technology as distraction\u201d resonates with me.\u00a0 In fact, I want to shout out PREACH IT CAL! \u00a0I agree with almost every technology concern he raises in his writing.\u00a0 I have been\/still am concerned about the role our phones, smart watches, tablets, laptops, desktops, etc. play in our day to day life.\u00a0 Notice I say \u201cour\u201d.\u00a0 I\u2019m not exempt.\u00a0 The struggle is real and logically I know I need technology balance in my life.\u00a0 Many [users] \u2013 the term I will use throughout this blog to refer to consumers of technology – are addicted to the immediacy of \u201cnotifications\u201d, i.e. a blinking light, ping from the phone, vibration, colorful banner of words that emerges (from social media, text message, email).<\/p>\n

\u201cSmartphones are really hard to put down. The buzzing of push notifications, the nagging red bubbles on apps, and endless feeds create the perfect storm of distractions. They keep us constantly engaged with the device. And that\u2019s kind of the point. Our apps and devices have been carefully designed to hook our attention for as long as possible\u2026 Former Google design ethicist\u00a0Tristan Harris\u00a0who recently co-founded the Center for Humane Technology raises that question. He has become one of the most outspoken critics of how devices are intentionally made to hook users at the cost of their time and comfort.\u201d<\/em>[1]<\/a><\/p>\n

There is certainly personal and professional harm that can come from overuse of technology in our everyday life. \u00a0But the reality is technology is here to stay.\u00a0 I work really hard to not be “that old\u201d person who is talking smack (negatively) about \u201ctoday\u2019s world\u201d.\u00a0 I hear, and sometimes engage in, conversations lamenting about the good old days before technology, the evil of present technology, and the fears for the future generation. And yet, these same people, including myself, check our smartphone when we\u2019re done chatting.\u00a0 One grave concern, besides generalized distraction, is the change in relationship interaction via technology with family, friends, coworkers, customer service, etc.\u00a0 Relationships have been redefined by social media.\u00a0 As a member of Facebook, I suddenly have 500+ friends (some I barely know) who, according to Mark Zuckerberg, are supposed to be interested in my mundane daily activities or impressed by my amazing vacation photos.\u00a0 Sometimes I might even throw out a political ranting \u2013 assuming of course my 500+ friends care about my political view!?!?\u00a0 In 2017, the average technology user spent approximately two hours\/day on social media.[2]<\/a>\u00a0 TWO HOURS.\u00a0 That accounts for only a fraction of the average eleven hours of \u201cscreen time\u201d\/day per person (TV, computer, phone, etc.).[3]<\/a> \u00a0How ironic that one of the main complaints of people in today\u2019s world is \u201cthere is not enough time in the day to get things done\u201d.\u00a0 Enough said.<\/p>\n

All the lamenting in the world will not change the fact that technology is here to stay.\u00a0 Even though we recognize its potential harm, we also need to acknowledge its value. I’m not naive enough to believe that completely abolishing technology is the answer to our broken world \u2013 we\u2019ve been broken all along with or without technology.\u00a0 It has pushed us (especially Christians) to face new and different temptations and distractions, but it has also provided more access to resources and connections (i.e. Bible app, books, blogs, journals, online groups to connect).\u00a0 We can go about the business of discipleship more efficiently.\u00a0 Speaking of discipleship, my research focus on Somali refugee resettlement and resilience in Columbus, Ohio, has been impacted by technology.<\/p>\n

THE GOOD:\u00a0 For the non-refugee, technology offers access to immediate information, statistics, opportunities to donate and volunteer, and resources.\u00a0 You can find pros and cons to the refugee crisis and form your own thoughts and opinions simply via Google.\u00a0 As a refugee, access to technology is imperative.\u00a0 It helps the refugee access resources, connect with loved ones, learn to navigate the resettlement experience, and learn about your new culture.\u00a0 THE BAD:\u00a0 There is evidence that technology also helps to dehumanize refugees\u2019 all the while instilling hate and fear. \u201cThese studies suggest that the media may not only promote dehumanization of immigrants and refugees through depictions that highlight potential threats to the host society, but provide ready justifications for the dehumanization and consequent outcomes. Esses says that the resultant dehumanization of immigrants and refugees may appeal to members of the public, serving to justify the status quo, strengthening boundaries between newcomers and established residents, and defending against threats to the established residents’ position in society.\u201d[4]<\/a>\u00a0 And then there\u2019s \u2026THE UGLY:\u00a0 The reports states: \u201cThere is a tendency, both among many politicians and in sections of the mainstream media, to lump migrants together and present them as a seemingly endless tide of people who will steal jobs, become a burden on the state and ultimately threaten the native way of life.\u00a0 \u201cSuch reporting is not only wrong; it is also dishonest. Migrants often bring enormous benefits to their adopted countries.\u201d[5]<\/a><\/p>\n

So there you have it.\u00a0 There\u2019s no perfect answer to balancing our use of technology, but I believe Cal Newport\u2019s prescription is pretty close.\u00a0 Personally, I already began the digital decluttering process approximately one year ago.\u00a0 I removed Twitter and Snapchat accounts and began disengaging from Facebook and Instagram \u2013 with the idea that relationships aren\u2019t nurtured through social media (and that the toxic political rhetoric and hateful banter profoundly impacted me).\u00a0 However, all these \u201cstep-backs\u201d haven\u2019t spurred increased face to face relationship connection.\u00a0 I especially want to commit to Newport\u2019s take on reclaiming leisure.\u00a0 \u201cDoing nothing is overrated, cultivate high-quality leisure to replace low-value digital distractions and avoid falling back into old habits. Prioritize demanding activity over passive consumption. Use skills to produce valuable things in the physical world.\u00a0 Seek activities that require real-world, structured social interactions.\u201d[6]<\/a>\u00a0 Oh, and by the way, I\u2019m looking forward to the day (less than a year away) when we finally reclaim our leisure time\u2026now consumed by Facebook, computer, electronic books, and the blog site. \u00a0Target in sight!<\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> https:\/\/www.vox.com\/2018\/2\/27\/17053758\/phone-addictive-design-google-apple<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> https:\/\/www.statista.com\/statistics\/433871\/daily-social-media-usage-worldwide\/<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> https:\/\/www.nielsen.com\/us\/en\/insights\/news\/2018\/time-flies-us-adults-now-spend-nearly-half-a-day-interacting-with-media.print.html<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2013-09-media-role-dehumanizing-immigrants-refugees.html<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/media\/greenslade\/2015\/dec\/17\/where-media-fails-on-the-reporting-of-migrants-and-refugees<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> https:\/\/www.digitaltidying.com\/digital-minimalism-book-summary\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It was refreshing to read another Cal Newport text this week – Digital Minimalism.\u00a0 His premise of \u2018technology as distraction\u201d resonates with me.\u00a0 In fact, I want to shout out PREACH IT CAL! \u00a0I agree with almost every technology concern he raises in his writing.\u00a0 I have been\/still am concerned about the role our phones, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":99,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1359],"class_list":["post-22409","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-cal-newport","cohort-lgp8"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22409","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/99"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22409"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22409\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22410,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22409\/revisions\/22410"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22409"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22409"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22409"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}