The Internet Causes Moral Panic?

Earlier this month, Newsweek published an article entitled, "Is the Web Driving Us Mad?" I'd say the author, Tony Dokoupil, has somewhat generated a moral panic by supposedly presenting statistics and life examples on how the Internet promotes addictive, insane behavior in its users.

I read the article. For sure, there are some truths in this article but for you who decide to stay clear from the Internet due to Dokoupil's presentation (e.g. the anonymous reader who asked for healthier alternatives in my previous post) I recommend reading another article to balance his view. The article was published by TIME, "Does the Internet Really Make Everyone Crazy?"

Please read those articles at your leisure, but the point is we need to go back to the root of the problem. Just like any other tool, technology can be used to aid or to destroy. It all depends on the users.

Nevertheless, the more we think our society is relentlessly attacked by the negative content on the Internet, the more we have to put out the positive, healthy content out there, don't you think? The best defense is a good offense.

I have to apologize for always attempting to hit this point home. No one said it would be easy to use the Internet for the gospel. On the contrary, we desperately need to be continually before the Lord, being properly aggressive. 

Hudson Taylor came to China in 1854, in the midst of the Third Pandemic (a Bubonic plague pandemic) in China and on the brink of a civil war (Punti-Hakka war) in 1855. If he were not properly aggressive, I can't even imagine what would happen.

Today there are two manifested needs that transcend ages and eras: satisfaction and community. So my claim is this:

Christ satisfies and the Church includes us.

I will expound more on this claim in my next post.

Comments

  1. I feel the affects of the Internet on one's personality are magnified by aging. I have several friends on both ends of the political spectrum. As they have gotten older they have become more extreme. On all the hot issues that pop up on Facebook, they weigh in with ever more unreasonable, unthinking positions. True the Internet makes people mad.

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    Replies
    1. You brought up a very interesting point about the correlation between the degree of the Net's impact and aging. It actually makes sense: the more we age, that sense of yearning to be fulfilled grows deeper or more urgent.

      I believe that is why laying hold of something that is not temporal or fluctuating is crucial.

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  2. I like the Hudson Taylor connection there.

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  3. Thanks for keeping it simple Katherine! Your article brings a refreshing balance to an important topic. I hope I'll find time to read those articles, but I do agree about your positive point. Positive, healthy content is needed on the internet. Thank you for your contribution.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for reading my post, Todd. I hope to be able to continue on this line a bit more.

      Just like the Roman road was there so that the gospel could be preached everywhere and the printing press was there so that the Bible could be printed and distributed, so is the Internet being a crucial instrument in the spreading of His Word.

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