Changing Technology Changing Us

Technology is changing our lives rapidly. Who would have thought a few years ago that missionaries in far away places would be able to communicate in real time through Facebook, videos  and free phone calls. These ways of communicating are taken for granted by our newer members and many of them would not be able to imagine a time when easy and instant communication was not possible. At the moment  in our organisation we are in the process of moving toward communicating with our  audience by email and Internet  as much as possible. This means phasing out postal communications where we can save costs and time. 
 

There is increasing evidence that this age of internet connectivity is not just changing the way that we communicate, but it is also changing us. Researchers are saying that even the brains of young people are wired differently as a result of being constantly immersed in the visual imagery of the Internet rather than the text based information that previous generations used to communicate new ideas. This means that the way that we challenge a new generation into mission has to take this into account. Social media, short videos and stories will become an important part of that communication.

This new technology also brings risks, as we are enthralled and titillated by new ways of sharing information, images and ideas. Missionaries are at increased risk of being drawn in by the lure of pornography, which could ruin their ministry and their personal lives. Some others spend too much time talking to people at home at the expense of being effective in their cross-cultural work. There is also the danger of becoming distracted by the constant barrage of text messages, Facebook updates, emails, Twitter feeds, so that we never really focus on getting anything significant done in our daily work. We have to be careful that our use of communications technology does not become an idol that will become more important to us than Jesus and sharing his love with the people that we meet. While our smartphones and screens can greatly enhance our communication, they cannot replace face-to-face interaction with people on a regular basis (at least not yet!)

So much of our communication is self centred, so we need to evaluate what and how we share in line with God's word on the matter. 1 John 2:16 reminds that "all that is in the world- the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and the pride of life- is not from the Father but is from the world". It would be great if we can remember that in our communication.