What Apple And Facebook Don't Want You To Know

ChristianityEthics
Written By

I was cycling on the Gold Coast recently, and noticed many Facebook adverts on local bus stops. 'Fake Accounts Are Not Our Friends' read one advert; 'Data Misuse Is Not Our Friend' read another.Evidently, Facebook wants you to know (or at least believe?) that they care about you, and your privacy.But there are things Facebook and Apple don't want you to know. Because if you knew these things, you would be more suspicious of digital technology, and more careful how you use it (potentially hurting the tech companies' bottom line).In our previous post, we saw the first two things that every Christian should know about digital technology. In particular, technology is not 'value neutral', but shapes the user according to the technology's underlying values. Whether we're aware or not, we're impacted by the technology we use.And we're about to see 3 more things that we should know if we're to be faithful digital disciples of Jesus in this tech-saturated age. Including how this shaping isn't always good for us:

1) What Apple Doesn't Put on Its Marketing

The unseen values of digital technology.

So if all technology shapes its user, because it's designed to perform particular actions in particular ways, according to the values of its designer - what are the values of digital technology?Here are some that astute observers have noted:

  • Access to information; (think Google)
  • Speed and immediacy; (Think of how quickly you can search for anything)
  • Constant connectivity; (You can be reached wherever you are - be it the bedroom or the boardroom).
  • Mediated Identity; (The 'virtual self' you present to the world on social media)
  • Mediated communication (Communicating electronically via text, call, and social media). [1]

Now, these values will shape its users (i.e. you and me), as we'll see next:

2) Technology Wears its Benefits on its Sleeves

But its drawbacks are buried deep within.

Apple and Facebook market their products with all the potential benefits that smartphones and social media bring: a connection with loved ones, access to a world of information, entertainment, etc. And yes, there are benefits - don't hear me saying otherwise. In many ways, it's great that we can connect with others, and share our lives online.However, there are also drawbacks to these values, which are unseen at first. But over time, these drawbacks become apparent.Here is some of the negative shaping that can happen:

  • Access to information might lead us feeling overwhelmed with information overload;
  • Speed and immediacy can lead to the habit of scanning information, damaging our capacity for alow, deliberate reading; It is also distracting, taking our attention away from other important things (e.g., our work, or real people).
  • Mediated Identity can lead to greater narcissism, as we take more time building and presenting a (filtered) online identity;
  • Constant connectivity can be incredibly distracting, as you are bombarded with notifications and messages, whether at dinner time or work.
  • Mediated Communication can lead to shallower, more temporary relationships, as we cut down on the face to face time required to build deeper, long-term relationships.

And of course, there are a whole host of other negative ways that technology can shape us:

So what's the solution?

3) The Critical Skill in Our Age of Digital Technology:

'Disciplined discernment'.

So what are we to do with technology? Should we ditch our smartphones and take a leaf out of the Amish playbook?Not necessarily. Technology is here to stay, and removing ourselves entirely from digital technology is neither desirable nor necessary. As we saw in the previous post, technology is part of God's design for humanity - even as it's affected by the fall.Thus, we need to cultivate the virtue of what Tim Challies calls 'disciplined discernment':

In this approach [of disciplined discernment], a Christian looks carefully at the new realities, weighs and evaluates them, and educates himself, thinking deeply about the potential consequences and effects of using a particular technology.

Challies continues:

Through it all, even as he is using a specific technology, he disciplines himself to be discerning, to embrace what can be embraced and to reject what needs to be rejected.' [2]

To put it another way, we discern the advantages and disadvantages of using a particular piece of technology. Then we make use of the advantages, while mitigating the disadvantages through disciplined use.For me, disciplined discernment has meant removing semi-addictive apps from my smartphone, so I'm no longer distracted by them (yes, including FB and Twitter). I turned off many app notifications, so I wasn't interrupted as I worked or shared life with others. And I make it a habit to keep parts of my life digital-free: the dinner table, in the car with the family, and after 8 pm at night (an hour before I go to sleep).Furthermore, I no longer read the bible from my smartphone: it's too easy to get distracted. Making these changes has allowed me to reap the many benefits of digital tech, without being overly shaped by the negatives.

Becoming Digital Disciples

Digital technology is here to stay. And there is much good that it brings. But if we're to become faithful digital disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, and use technology for God's glory (1 Cor 10:31), then we do well to listen to technology theorist Neil Postman:

We need to proceed with our eyes wide open, so that we may use technology rather than be used by it.

  [1] See the publications listed in Part 1 of this series for more detail.[2] Tim Challies, The Next Story – Faith, Friends, Family and the Digital World (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2015), Kindle Edition, 296.

Previous

Should Christians Be 'Losing Well’ In a Hostile Australia?
Next

5 Things Every Christian Should Know About Digital Technology