Obviously, there’s a bit of a theme going on this week, starting with the discussion on Monday about Jay Y. Kim’s book, Analog Church, and then an interview on Tuesday with Wendy Speake who wrote The 40-Day Social Media Fast.
To be sure, cultivating a quiet life isn’t about removing ourselves from social media entirely (although that’s never a bad idea). Rather, it’s about making sure social media doesn’t take over our lives.
There is a way to enjoy the benefits of social media while living free from its digitally addictive clutches. First, it’s important we routinely take extended breaks from social media. Second, it’s equally important that we are intentional to replace it with real world relationships and activities. That’s what today’s trio of articles tackle — some of the ways we can embrace the “analog world.”
How does the picture at the top relate to all of this?
I snapped this photo with my phone on one of my morning walks at a nearby park, and I simply want to encourage you to spend a few moments this week taking a quiet walk outside — weather permitting, of course. Find a park and enjoy the sunshine piercing through the trees. Trust me, it is time well spent.
Happy reading, my friends!
“We Must Reclaim Friendship from the Bonds of Social Media” by Chris Martin
“A healthy relationship with the social internet requires us to reclaim the real, deep understanding of friendship that has been lost. It is important to have real friends with whom we spend time in person. We have to resist the temptation toward our screens becoming mediators of every relationship we have. Our screens mute the full range of friendship. A friend offering text-message condolences following the death of a family member cannot compare to their embodied presence and comforting embrace.”
“iGeneration and iDentity” by Kyle Borg
“The iGeneration isn’t logging onto social media to argue about politics, post memes, or catch-up with long lost friends. They’re logging on to find themselves – to form, shape, and define their identity. . . . And make no mistake. Social media and its influencers are all too happy to assume the role of Creator and Redeemer. They’re happy to tell your children who and what they are. That matters. It matters because social media cannot be the influence we give our children up to.”
“Ten Things I Think About Unplugging” by Timothy Willard
“I think it’s time to live life in analog. What do I mean by analog? Remember cassette tapes? That’s analog technology. But I’m using the term broadly, to mean, the good ole days, when everything wasn’t digital, when the world wasn’t compressed into a rectangle that you hold in your hand, or plug in to your car, or wireless speaker. I’m thinking of a slower time, when things seemed quieter.”
Have you read (or written!) a great article that you’d like to share? Send me the link here!
Read more in the #ThreeOnThursday series here.
