"How many of our most joyfilled memories have been created in front of a screen?" asks John Freeman in the Wall Street Journal, Aug 21, 2009. Warning of the the dangers of breakneck communication and email addiction Freeman asserts, "The speed at which we do something changes our experience of it." Hmmm. Read this post verrry slowwwly.
"The faster we talk and chat and type over tools such as email and text messages, the more our communication will resemble travelling at great speed...we will live in a constant state of digital jet lag." Wow. I think this is what strikes a chord for me about "online community" and its various expressions. Trust me. I am for online connections. And friends have online groups. But time is the great enemy of community. The richness in the writings of a Henry Nouwen, Brennan Manning or Dietrich Bonhoeffer, communal giants we all love to read and quote, would never have emerged from a chat-room experience with a few college pals. Extended time together in the crucible of suffering and joy, and hours in silence before God evoke a spiritual passion that high-speed chat can never emulate.
And so we live in the new world of bio-textology, part human part robot, racing toward a culture increasingly occupied by technosapiens. We are indeed torn. We seek to leverage technology for enhancing connection, but time spent doing so detracts from the relational intimacy that comes from presence and touch, sound and smell. The senses crave embrace, and we offer them audio-visual stimulation--at faster and faster speeds.
"We need context in order to live, and if the environment of electronic communication has stopped providing it, we shouldn't search online for a solution but turn back to the real world and slow down," prods Freeman. "If we spend our evening online trading short messages over Facebook with friends thousands of miles away rather than going to our local pub or park with a friend, we are effectively withdrawing from the people we could turn to for solace, humor and friendship, not to mention the places we could go to do this. We trade the complicated reality of friendship for its vacuum-packed idea." Ouch. Not sure I am willing to make that trade. But it is so tempting.
In the meantime I will use Twitter, FB and email tools that can foster some communication. But I'll try to follow the advice on some medications: "Use sparingly." And I must never confuse frequent communication with community. I suggest you read the entire WSJ article--if you can spare the time. And yes, it is OK to read it online. And then talk about it with some friends over your favorite beverage. And withdrawal from digital jet lag. Hey, I can see a new recovery group forming now... :)
Bill
