Advent Meditation-Week 3: Redeem the Time, Technology Edition
You might remember a video that circulated a few years ago in which Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified before a Congressional hearing. The clip that “went viral” was an exchange between Zuckerberg and Utah senator Orrin Hatch. Hatch asked whether Facebook could expect to sustain business when users don’t pay for the service. Zuckerberg smirked and responded, “Senator, we run ads.”
As the video became a virus and spread from host to host, it did so with a subtext that went something like, “Look at the dumb old man who doesn’t know how the internet works and the patient internet wizard who must endure his ignorance.” That’s my paraphrase but you can read the YouTube comments yourself.
What Zuckerberg didn't say—and what is now abundantly clear—is that Facebook users are not customers but the product. That has always been true of ad-based revenue. We learn it from bus stop benches and roadside billboards featuring a big pair of eyes and text that reads, “See, you looked!”
The difference, of course, is that social media has changed the structure of our society. Interpersonal relationships, news media, business and marketing, and politics (this is an abbreviated list!) have all been shaken like a snow globe. These changes are significant enough that some economists have begun describing a new economic sector: attention. But once I start using phrases like “some economists,” I start losing your attention because that stuff is very boring. I should mix in a little celebrity gossip!
But what the boring economist describes, we all feel. Think about all the things you do during the day without thinking. Here’s a scenario that may or may not be autobiographical: Have you ever started washing the dishes or folding laundry but stopped first to find a podcast to listen to—you know, to optimize the time—only to realize 5 minutes later that you haven’t chosen a podcast because you responded to that text, which needed a very particular gif, and then you saw a notification from Instagram and thought, “Oh that’s funny, I should send that to…” Sorry, what was I saying? Right. Has something like that ever happened to you?
The early 20th century French philosopher Simone Weil wrote, “Absolutely unmixed attention is prayer.” It’s an overstated maxim from a complicated figure, but it calls us to think about the importance of attention and the connection between attention and spiritual disciplines. Weil helps us see that all of our “restless devices” (to steal a phrase) that divide and compete for our attention have significant implications for our spiritual growth.
Last week I invited you to take inventory of the aspects of your life that influence whether you live from a false self or true self. Those questions were meant to bring you to an awareness so that you can turn (i.e. repent) and live in your true self, which is hidden in Christ. As we consider the relationship between digital technologies like social media and attention, we narrow the focus on an acute issue related to that awareness.
If you are not convinced that digital technology or social media have harmed your ability to pay attention or that paying attention is directly related to your ability to pray or to receive others with empathy and hospitality, then go back one step and stay there. Keep leaning into those places where you find your true self hidden in Christ. But if you find yourself absentmindedly reaching for your phone, or frequently allowing an algorithm to feed you content that you have not actively chosen … if you have experiences like this, I invite you to consider ways that your devices have become more than mere tools, how they are deeply formative, and especially how they are forming you in ways that contradict our formation as Jesus’ disciples.
I cannot answer these questions for you, but I can offer suggestions to help you analyze yourself.
Think about the time you spend looking at a screen in a given day or week. If you aren’t sure, you might write down what you think that number is and then spend a week tracking it. Even the conservative statistics about phone usage suggest that you are likely checking it and spending more time on it than you might think. Your device likely tracks your usage and you can receive weekly reports with that information.
If the amount of time is higher than you think it should be, the response should not be guilt. The Bible calls us to “redeem the time” (Eph 5:16). In some ways, time itself is being held captive and it is our job to save it, to free it. If your goal is to stop looking at social media so much or scrolling through a news app, you will likely struggle. But if you think about that time as a precious, limited resource, then you can start to think about what it might mean to redeem it. Are the contents of social media better than your friends, family, or all the great books you haven’t gotten around to reading? Is watching videos on YouTube or TikTok better than praying or meditating on God’s Word?
This sounds judgy and legalistic, but that isn’t my intention. There are times when silly videos are exactly what you need. There is nothing wrong with keeping up with current events. The crux of the issue is the balance of time and the intentionality behind how we spend it.
If you find that the amount of time you spend looking at a device is out of step with where you think it should be for you to grow as a disciple of Jesus, find places where you can replace a screen-based habit with another habit. Here are some quick ideas:
Device-based Habit: Redeem the Time Habit:
Check notifications upon waking —> Read a Psalm upon waking
Check phone during work —> Turn on do not disturb and check at set times
Phone active during meals —> Have intentional times phone is off
Default to device-centered entertainment —> Talk, play, make music, create, read
Lots of individual screen time —> Communal screen time (movies, games)
Algorithm-based apps —> Select the content you want to see
Phone in bed at night —> God’s Word, a devotional book, or prayer
Those of you who know me well know that I am not against digital technology. I’m grateful for what phones and computers allow us to do, things that would seem like magical superpowers to our ancestors. Often my wife and I will watch an episode of a show before bed. I believe my life has been enriched by the creative storytelling of Michael Schur, for example.
But Advent calls us to take account. If I can recite hours’ worth of dialogue from Parks and Recreation but I struggle to tell you stories about my kids, I need to redeem the time. If I struggle to sit still for an hour and read with focus, I need to reclaim my attention. If I struggle to quiet my mind to pray or to simply still myself in the presence of God’s creation, it’s time to push back against the formative impact of digital devices.
As is often the case with repentance, I’m not suggesting that everyone needs to quit social media (though some of you might!) and I’m not suggesting that if you get below a designated number, you will be good. Instead, I want you to elevate your estimation of the value of what devices can cost: time, attention, relationship, experience, and virtues like patience and empathy, and so on. Surely devices can push you to sin: pornography, gossip, envy, cynicism, hatred (I suppose this list could fill a book!). Certainly, discipleship to Jesus means turning from these sins. But the kind of repentance we have been exploring in light of Advent is about being united to Jesus and finding that in Him we can put down the masks of our false selves and take up true life that comes from the source of all life (Jn 1:4).
I have to wrap up now—shorter attention spans, you know. To dive deeper into the topic of following Jesus in a digital age here are a few resources:
Restless Devices:Recovering Personhood, Presence, and Place in the Digital Age by Felicia Wu Song
Following Jesus in a Digital Age by Jason Thacker
Digital Liturgies: Rediscovering Christian Wisdom in an Online Age by Samuel James
The Tech-Wise Family: Everyday Steps for Putting Technology in Its Proper Place by Andy Crouch
As always, I would love to hear from you. I would especially love to talk to you about how you are thinking about your use of digital technologies and what it looks like for you to be faithful to Jesus in light of these challenges.