The Social Solution: Digital Aestheticism + The Social Dilemma
podcast with Wes Siler , Mia Burke Cameron Cortez + Jacki Dorris
transcript + notes
1:00 Introductions
Cameron Cortez with a Ministry/Discipleship Perspective. Cameron is on staff as a Discipleship pastor at a church in Hawaii. Thinking through how people are being shaped, formed spiritually + emotionally through Social Media + digital means.
Jacki Dorris is a stay at home mom, using SM to connect with other groups related to school + social outlets for her children. She has a military affiliation, connecting with other spouses to network + research new duty stations.
Wes Siler is an Air Force member, graduate student at Harvard Kennedy School, + utilizes social media on a podcast outside of work (The Burkean Conservative).
And I’m Mia Burke, who uses social media professionally to build a business (B+PC) as well as to connect long distance as a military spouse away from family + adult children in the military overseas.
2:20 Summary of the documentary Social Dilemma - Wes Siler
3:11 What’s the Problem? Data Mining + Surveillance Capitalism
5:30 Why is it a problem for us?
Mia- leashed to device for job + my inability to think fully.
Wes- The FB response
Cam- Lack of boundaries with the work hours of ministry, family life, + play.
Jacki- The problem is that SM is addicting + we lose track of how much time + energy we give to it. It drives a much deeper addiction in comparison + idolatry that we are often unaware of.
12:45 Most Interesting Concepts from the Documentary
Mia- tool vs. digital pacifier, “if you aren’t paying for a product, you are the product” + control of what is truth.
Cam--echo chambers feeding you more + more content of your preference + interests. Digital addiction. A self soothing + coping mechanism. Unable to be in social settings without a device. Social interactions on a low--Gen Z + sex?
15:12 Google Ad Settings
Fun little way to see how Google is targeting you for ads
Wes- Truth- where do we get it? Do we let someone else define the parameters? Commandeering tech for our own purposes. Reactive or responsive?
Jacki- In the documentary highlights the dramatic effect on our mental health, depression/suicide among teenagers is at an all-time high.
28:05 Summary of John Mark Comber’s “Unhurrying” and “Digital Asceticism” - Cameron
Bridgetown Sermon: “The Case for Digital Asceticism”
“Unhurrying with a Rule of Life: A Digital Rule of Life”
What we give our attention to.
What is forming us?
Rule of Life
Trellis helps a vine be more fruitful
Abiding in the Vine
Allowing us to produce fruit
31:50 Putting Into Practice
Mia- My attention span + inability to concentrate + think well. Feeling like my device has become a leash.
Cam- “Nothing good happens online after 8pm”. Boundaries at home with screens regarding work, entertainment + being attentive + present with my wife. Social Media posts, judging people based on what they post + affecting my relationships with them.
Wes- Don’t see it that way. Why + for what purpose? Consumption- that is the problem. If we’re partaking but have a boundary is a reactive mode. How can we build or modify them to serve us? Kat’s Bible Study messaging to leaders' examples.
Jacki- Validation- birthday example. Setting boundaries based on convictions.
43:12 How shall we live?
Mia- The documentary ends with the good intentions started with. But had no response to the fact that we can’t save ourselves. Human nature will always mess it up nor can we save ourselves.
Cam- Recognizing that God can redeem anything. Christians/church should be redeeming social media + tech to further the Kingdom.
Wes- The doc left us in a down/esoteric place….Christians need to be leaders.
Jacki- Step away during seasons, re-evaluate its toll on us + respect it for what it is.
Resources
Q Summit: “How Should Christians Approach Social Media?”
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Depending on how a gem is held, light refracts differently. At B+PC we engage in Pop Culture topics to see ideas from a new angle, to bring us to a deeper understanding. And like Pastor Shane Willard notes, we want “…Jesus to get bigger, the cross to get clearer, the Resurrection to be central…” Instead of approaching a topic from “I don’t want to be wrong,“ we strive for the alternative “I want to expand my perspective.”
So, we invite you to engage with us here. What piqued your curiosity to dig deeper? What line inspired you to action? What idea made you ask, “Hmmm?” Let’s join with our community to wrestle with our thoughts in love in the Comment Section! See you there!