Screen Addiction

A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it crushes the spirit                                     Proverbs 15:4

So, if you have read the title of today’s blog, you have also learned the business plan of social media tech companies. The plan is to addict people to their screens, often their smartphone. This is accomplished by adjusting sophisticated algorithms, planning randomized alerts and notifications, mixing in entertainment and factoids, and gradually putting readers into silos of information. Often this information is misinformation. It also includes lots of unvetted opinions by people who have no expertise in the subject upon which they opine.

Some of the results of this are less critical thinking, less intensive and directed reading of books and articles to gain information, and more emotional responses to issues rather than cognitive and logical responses. It also ramps up emotions like anger, and prompts many people to write things that they later regret. Oh, and by the way, those comments are FOREVER out in the world.

In case you haven’t guessed, I am pretty critical of the social media trends of the past decade or so. Am I a victim of this also. Yes, yes I am.  When I see that weekly notice on Sunday morning at 9AM on my phone about screen time usage of the past week, I often cringe. 

Social media can, of course be used for good. People can connect in healthy ways with one another, extended families can keep in touch, old friendships renewed, and many other possible positive things can be accomplished.

Just be aware of that business plan that drives social media. Keep it in mind, and try to carve out some of your screen time into reading a variety of those beloved old items of the past- books!

Prayer: Lord, you give us many gifts in many ways, including technology. Give us the wisdom to use it well, Amen