Phone technology – freedom or slavery?
‘Their idols are silver and gold, made by human hands. They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see. They have ears, but cannot hear, noses, but cannot smell. They have hands, but cannot feel, feet, but cannot walk, nor can they utter a sound with their throats. Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.’ Psalm 115.4-8
Those people of the ancient world – how silly they were! Making idols out of physical, created materials to replace the true God with. And then bowing down and worshiping the very thing they themselves had created. How could they have been so stupid?!
Hold on. What about the devices that modern humanity has fashioned today? What about the phones and computers that we spend hours on every day and are nearly all addicted to? Well, we don’t bow down and worship them, do we?
No, but worship is not just about praying to someone or something. It is orienting your life around the object of worship. When we are scrolling through social media on our phones we feel as though we are in control. But are we? Don’t forget Big Tech companies use ‘data analytics’ to measure not just what our options to click on are, but in what order, how often, and how long we spend on each page. We appear to be in the driver’s seat. But the routes we are driving down have largely been pre-planned for us. This is a way of life different to everything that has come before.
The technology we have today is like nothing else in human history. We might be tempted to compare mobile phone technology to something like the printing press, which made such an impact in the sixteenth century. But today’s technology doesn’t just communicate ideas (like a book) – it has become the medium by which our whole life is organised and directed. We might feel it is liberating but actually, it tends to enslave rather than set free.
What is the answer for Christians? Surely, it is to do with prioritising relationships. It will mean showing up in person week after week in church; putting down our devices to attend to lonely loved ones and neglected neighbours; gathering around the Scriptures as couples, families and small groups to read and pray. Above all it means prioritising our relationship with God. He alone is no man-made idol.
Sincerely in Christ,
Bill
