Ask the Thoughtful Pastor: how did we let social media take over our minds?

Ask the Thoughtful Pastor: how did we let social media take over our minds? September 27, 2016

woman hunched over cell phoneDear Thoughtful Pastor:  been noticing of late how intrusive I’ve let social media and media consumption in general become.

So I’ve been banishing the tablet from my bed three nights a week, which has made me antsy and itchy.

And, irony of ironies, I’ve downloaded headspace, a meditation app. Believe it or not, a seasoned meditator guides you into 10 minutes of breathing and silence.

It is so, so hard. How did this even happen?

We are collectively cracking our brains with a piece of technology that most of us stay tethered to constantly. The smart phone has taken over. In a piece of my own irony, just as I started to work on this question, I realized I had misplaced my phone. Massive angst followed as both my husband and I searched for it.

I finally remembered that there is a “find-my-phone” utility which then made my phone ping (the sound was otherwise turned off) and we found it. To our utter relief. Why? Because I have outsourced much of my brain to the phone.

I rarely know what day it is:  I look at the phone.

I do not know phone numbers or addresses of my children. I look at the phone.

I phone desk blurredI have to function with a plethora of passwords to multiple places and they are all stored, safely encrypted, in some app on my phone.

Bank balance? A fingerprint sign-in gives me up-to-date information.

Directions to anywhere? And yeah, I’ve forgotten how to internalize them.

Want to know the traffic? Check the phone and see the graphic with endless orange and red dots showing congested areas.

Need a document? I can get to anything I’ve ever written or stored for any reason right there on my phone.

Want to know the latest political news (well, no, actually)? Can tell you in seconds.

My calendar no longer sits in my head or on a desk, but in electronic form. I don’t try to remember birthdays: a reminder will show up a week ahead of each important one. Need to remember to do something? No, I don’t, because a reminder will pop up when it is time.

Again, a huge part of my brain resides there.

This wonderful, freeing addition to our lives leaves all of us with broken brains. Constant interruption accompanies  the screen environment. It gratifies the never ending need for something NEW to show up. We can pass on thoughtless quotes or seriously biased news to others in microseconds.

A Deal with the Devil


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