At recent meeting with my colleagues, the topic came up of the fast pace of technology and the imprint it has on our lives. In less than 20 years, email has become ubiquitous; in less than five years, Facebook now has so many users—500 million and counting—that if it were a nation, it would be the fourth largest nation in the world. Technology experts anticipate that in less than two years, more than one billion people will have Facebook profiles. I imagine the numbers for Twitter will be similar.
The rate of change is intense, rapid, and astonishing.
I am neither a technological evangelist nor a ludite. I post regularily on Facebook and Tweet on Twitter, rock out on my iPod when I work out, love my new MacBook Pro (thank you Harvey @ First Tech!), but haven’t yet ventured to the ignominious iPhone.
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But I’m not ambivalent either. Technology is here to stay. Some people wonder “if” all this technology is good.
I think that is the wrong question. The essential spiritual question about technology is “how can it be used for good?”
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Is it problematic to spend so much time connected on a virtual web that we neglect the time and nurturing to build real time webs of care, moral support and affirmation of our human dignity? Certainly! There are legitimate concerns about the impact of too much screen time on brain development, on the dangerous consequences of texting while driving, of losing oneself in a viritual world.
But technology can also be a profound social organizing tool on a grand scale (see Obama, President, 2008) and even in local communities; last year, our synagogue organized a program where Shabbat dinners were served in members homes, while hosts could play a YouTube video produced by the staff to guide them through rituals and blessings.
Today, more than a third of the couples I marry as a rabbi met one each other through online dating sites. Technology is the platform upon which they’ll build a life together. Extraordinary!
I am frequently amazed as congregants facing illness and surgery are presented with the technology available to alleviate their pain and help repair their wounds. How amazing are these creations!
Technology itself is morally neutral. How we use it—or don’t—reflects our individual and communal values and priorities. Perhaps, each time we pick up our favorite device, we could ask ourselves: What is the great purpose I’m working toward here? How will this technology help? How will it enable me to connect in deeper and more meaningful ways?
This conversation about the role of technology in our lives will not be resolved for quite sometime, if ever.
For those who struggle to catch up or feel overwhelmed by the rapid changes, I empathize: in our family, we rely on our four year old to fix the DVD player and our seven year old organize the cable channels. We’re considering inviting the pre-school class over to set up our DVR.
