Nicholas H. Dean

AFA Journal/Engage magazine staff writer

September 2013 – Kord Campbell, a web developer and entrepreneur, is surrounded by no less than three computer screens in his office, not to mention his cell phone and various other gadgets. His wife and children are similarly surrounded by technology. Their technological dilemma is recounted in a 2010 New York Times article.

Weary of the constant pull of gadgets on her family’s attention, Campbell’s wife planned a spring break vacation in a rental cottage in Carmel, California, where she hoped her family would unplug from their devices for a few days. However, the day before they left, Apple’s iPad hit the shelves, and Campbell could not resist the purchase. The next night, the first on their vacation, his wife recalls that her family simply sat at their devices and didn’t even go out to dinner. Throughout the vacation, Campbell would leave family activities to check email or play video games. When the family returned home, he immediately immersed himself in his office again.

Family situations like these, and the arguments and tensions that follow, are all too common. In his book The Next Story, Tim Challies wrote, “Each of us has had plenty of experience with technology, but few of us have the theoretical or theological tools to make sense of the consequences of our use of technology.” 

Most of us are aware of addictions involving alcohol, drugs and pornography, and how these addictions plague individuals, families and society. Now, there is a new form of addiction on the rampage: addiction to technology and social media. With the demands of a high speed, high tech society, the line between man and machine is becoming blurred. Many in our post-modern world see no problem with this. However, addiction to gadgets and social media can have profoundly negative implications. 

Implications of addiction
For one thing, our brains are extremely vulnerable. When we carry on certain practices, habits are formed. When we hit the send button on a text, pull the trigger on a video game or open a new tab on the Internet, there is a stimulus driven response. It is basic Pavlovian psychology. Research studies such as those conducted by German neurology professor Matthias Koepp and University of Wisconsin suggest that the dopamine released in the brain during such activities is similar to the release when using cocaine.

In other words, such activities can be extremely addictive and even cause a chemical dependence. These habits can also physically change the synapses in the brain. When we develop a habit of quick web searches for information or multi-tasking on many tabs, programs and devices, we are literally rewiring our brains to be poorer at focusing, being patient and retaining information long term.

It isn’t just our biology that is affected, though. Our character can suffer as well. Ego and pride may be inflated. “Likes” on Facebook posts create a need for affirmation. Honestly, how many times have you checked Facebook just to see if someone has “liked” one of your posts?

Obsession with having the latest device feeds poor stewardship, selfishness and discontent. Addicts are unsatisfied with the technology they already own, so they spend thousands of dollars every year buying the latest gadgets – dollars they cannot afford to waste. 

Hurting relationships
The great irony is that we have all of this communication technology, and yet we know others, and perhaps even ourselves, less than ever. Many have become so glued to cell phones, tablets, computers and televisions that they are more likely to look at a picture of a friend or family member on Facebook than to see that person face to face.

The Campbell family’s interrupted vacation story illustrates how these issues of addiction have a strong impact on family relationships as well. Addiction can cause parents to neglect their children and spouses. It can create a distance in children, especially if the child frequently watches television programs in which parents are depicted as immature, overbearing, clueless or generally disengaged. If provided enough exposure to the negative programming, the child will inevitably project these characteristics onto their own parents. 

Texting and use of social media sites allows for easy communication, but they also involve no commitment or depth. Face to face interaction requires vulnerability, but texting allows for greater control and ability to keep someone at arm’s length. As a result, social and relationship skills are lacking in many. We are essentially conditioning empathy out of ourselves.

According to a University of Michigan study, college students show 40% less empathy than in previous decades, with an especially steep drop in the past 10 years. A lack of face to face interaction is a leading cause. Empathy is not innate, it is learned. If one spends more time looking at a computer screen than looking at another human face, how is he to learn empathy? And as empathy decreases, narcissism increases.

Christians’ concern
In 1 Corinthians 13:12, Paul discusses a “glass darkly” which obscures his perspective. But he goes on to write about his hope for seeing face to face. Our inability to focus on anything beyond our device screens presents a similar darkened glass which obscures our views of one another. Obviously, ours is not quite the context he is referring to, but Paul’s words offer an important admonition to Christians living in a tech-rampant world, particularly when you consider the effect on church lives with some Christians even choosing to leave their brick and mortar churches for a virtual church. With limited fellowship and accountability, these virtual churches may cause some Christians to become jaded with fellow believers and what it is to live the Christian life.

Of course, technology is not without its benefits. Some video games have been shown to increase hand-eye coordination, problem solving skills and attention to detail. Web services like Skype allow loved ones to communicate with each other over long distances. Tablets allow some children with autism and Downs syndrome to learn with others in a way not possible in the past.

However, many of the benefits are clouded by broken human nature. John Calvin once remarked that our hearts are idol factories, and those prophetic words hold true to this day. When we make idols out of our technology and the things our technology allows us to do, the result is addiction. You don’t have to let this addiction ruin your life or your family, though. Here are a few practical tips to combatting addiction to technology:

▶Limit the time you spend on Facebook or in front of the TV, and substitute that time by going outside or interacting with other people. 
▶Make time for your kids. For parents, especially in households where both parents must work, scheduling is important. 
▶Set an example. Ultimately, parents are to live as examples for their children. So do not just set limits for them, set limits for yourselves as well. 
▶Declare technology fasting days, when your family turns off the television, cell phones, digital tablets, computers and video games and uses that time to engage in Bible study and fellowship together.