This morning I had to add my debit card number into Facebook Messenger in order to receive some money someone sent me. And just for a minute I thought, “Do I really want to give my debit card number to Facebook? I mean they just had yet another data breach of nearly 267,000,000 American users…… Continue reading Is Privacy Worth Worrying About?
Category: social media
Why We Don’t Need Assembly Bill 272
On May 10th, San Diego State University professor Jean Twenge wrote a piece in the San Diego Union-Tribune “Phone-free schools? Students need distraction-free learning” wherein she argued that the California State Legislature would be wise to pass Assembly Bill 272. While I applaud Ms. Twenge’s long-term research interest in studying the impact of technology on…… Continue reading Why We Don’t Need Assembly Bill 272
Four Most Powerful Words Online
This summer I had the opportunity to do something silly. Bizarre even. On the 4th of July, while leading a mission trip in Ensenada, we decided to celebrate the 4th of July with fireworks. It was one of those moments where you question yourself: Is this culturally insensitive? Or is it culturally sensitive in including…… Continue reading Four Most Powerful Words Online
“Those darned teenagers…”
When I hear adults perpetrate stereotypes about teenagers (lazy, entitled, under-educated, etc) I realize that those adults must not know many teenagers. The first step in understanding teenagers is acknowledging that you were never a teenager in the sense that they are. Their teenage experience bears little resemblance to your own. You faced different challenges…… Continue reading “Those darned teenagers…”
The Dark Side of Social Media: I told you so
“Everything you post online is ultimately public.” I’ve been saying this for years. I started saying this to teenagers and their parents back in the MySpace days. I altered it after Edward Snowden blew the whistle on the CIA, NSA, and other intelligence agencies having backdoor access to social media websites, online shopping, and even…… Continue reading The Dark Side of Social Media: I told you so
Creating Sacred Spaces in Your Daily Life
While I’m not a proponent of technology fasts, I find that having pre-determined places or times in my life where I just don’t use technology helps me maintain healthy boundaries for technology. A few examples… the dinner table in our house is technology free during mealtimes, vacations are another space where we like to be…… Continue reading Creating Sacred Spaces in Your Daily Life
Technology isn’t killing your teenager
I’ve been asked many, many times to respond to Jean Twenge’s borish, dystopian view on teenagers and technology widely shared over the summer in her piece in The Atlantic, “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?” You need to know that even though what she’s saying is popular among parents and even though you might read it…… Continue reading Technology isn’t killing your teenager
Dragging myself towards the positive
I don’t know about anyone else but it’s been really hard to stay positive in 2017. Just when I think I’ve got myself into a positive mental groove something pops up that just drags me back into the mud. Some Examples… The other day, “tech celebrity” Robert Scoble managed to turn his name into a…… Continue reading Dragging myself towards the positive
The problem with social media fasts and other forms of tuning out
One of the reasons I wrote Tuning In is because I’m sick of the negative, singular narrative about technology coming from church voices. The assumption is that using technology or social media is somehow merely a pastime or leisure activity, carrying with it a negative stigma that it’s a waste of time and serious Christians should use…… Continue reading The problem with social media fasts and other forms of tuning out
The United Airlines Debacle, Explained
By now you’ve seen the video a million times. A United Airline customer is forcibly removed from his seat. Bloodied and confused he later wandered up and down the aisle repeating that he just wanted to go home. As bad as the actual moment was for the passenger and fellow passengers on the plane it…… Continue reading The United Airlines Debacle, Explained