The Hidden Power of Electronic Culture

CATALYST: Your book, The Hidden Power of Electronic Culture, obviously suggests in the title that there is something deeper about modern technologies than what we see and that all of our techno-gadgets are affecting us in some way.  What is this “hidden power” you speak of?

SHANE: The “hidden power” simply refers to the way a medium or technology, regardless of its content or message, shapes us.  This power of a medium is often hidden from our view because we are distracted by the content.  For example, the content of the TV show Desperate Housewives might cause us to be offended or entertained, but in either case we miss the way TV’s flickering mosaic of pixels actually reduces our ability to think in logical ways and intensifies emotionality regardless of the content.  When we miss the power of our media, it is like being distracted by a magician’s sleight-of-hand, just when he slips our watch from our wrist.  Unfortunately, this is the condition the church finds itself in.  I hope to awaken us to these hidden realities so we can use our media rather than be used by them.

CATALYST: You often make reference to the famous quote by Marshall McLuhan, “the medium is the message.”  Can you explain that quote and what it means?

SHANE: McLuhan believed that the message or content of a particular medium has about as much importance as the stenciling on the case of an atomic bomb.  In other words, the real impact is always made by the medium.  That applies to everything, including people.  Just look at how we communicate with each other.  I am the medium and I have a message.  If I say “I love you” but my tone of voice is sarcastic what message does that send?  My content is positive, but my medium was negative.  The medium always wins out.  The same is true with our technologies, everything from clothing and cars, to cell phones and the Internet.  They all have a message and a bias that shapes us regardless of their content.

CATALYST: So you’re suggesting that all technologies affect us in some way beyond just the message that is carried by that technology?  Can you give some practical examples of that from our everyday lives?

SHANE: If you read this article, regardless of what you are reading, it will cause you to exercise linear thinking skills; it will enhance your ability to perform logical reasoning.  Reading is like weight lifting for the left side of your brain.  The reason is because the words you are reading right now are arranged in a linear sequence—letter by letter, line by line.  This demands the same thinking patterns. 

The opposite is true when looking at an image.  This is like lifting weights for the right side of your brain.  An image is perceived all-at-once or in a holistic way.  The impact is that we begin thinking in more holistic or intuitive ways rather than linear ways. 

CATALYST: In your book you write, “Electronic media culture has a natural bias toward efficiency, entertainment, and consumption.  These three values have become the new holy trinity in our culture—to challenge any one of them is an act of heresy.”  Could you expand on these 3 concepts and how you see them affecting us as believers?

SHANE:
Efficiency: A technological society like ours is mainly concerned with being efficient.  Our entire system of economics demands that we become more efficient in order to save more time so we can make more money.  This unconsciously develops in us a restless impatience.  But the Kingdom of God is like yeast in dough—growing in slow and subtle ways.  Our objective of efficiency when taken to an extreme goes against the working of God in our lives.  He works in slow and strange ways—God has an annoying tendency to be very inefficient.

Entertainment:  In a media culture like ours, we have never had so many options for entertainment and leisure in the history of the world.  When taken to an extreme, this becomes our right and our life goal.  People work and make money so they can experience more entertainment and leisure.  We are certainly called to rest and renewal, entertainment and leisure.  That is what the Sabbath is all about.  But when this becomes an idol we have displaced the gospel. 

Consumption: We are now living through a very advanced stage of consumerism in our country.  We are defined not as citizens as was the case three decades ago; we are now defined as consumers.  There are few things that stand in direct opposition to the gospel than the consumerism of our culture.  Consumerism calls us to demand it our way.  It is all about us.  The notion of “taking up our cross” or suffering on behalf of the poor and the oppressed as Jesus did has no place in a consumer culture.  We must be mindful of the way this virus infects our life of faith. 


CATALYST: Tell us about what “Praxis” means. 

SHANE: Praxis is a fancy theological word to describe the rhythm of the life of faith.  Praxis is the process of allowing two different things to inform and fuel one another.  To experience seasons of study or reflection which should move us to and inform our action or engagement in the world.  This experience of serving the world should then inform and shape our study and reflection.  It is like spiritual breathing.  Breath in—study and learn, breath out— serve, give, love.  You can’t do one without the other.  

CATALYST: What are some tips you can give to Christians to be better thinkers about technology — specifically movies and TV?  Something deeper than, “don’t watch movies full of sex and violence?”

SHANE: Some may have the impression that I think content doesn’t matter.  That is not the case; the content actually has an impact on us as well.  Why? Because the content of any medium is actually another medium.  The content of TV presents us with people speaking, wearing clothes, driving cares, all of which are media.  So you can see this is a hall of mirrors we are experiencing.

The simplest thing I would suggest is to start paying attention to the way the various media you use affects you.  This can be everything from email, myspace.com, TV, or movies.  Ask the question what does it cause you to experience.  Excitement? Loneliness? Boredom? Longing?  Relaxation?  By paying attention to these effects we can better gain control over our media so we don’t end up being controlled by them.


CATALYST: React to this quote by George Barna; “By and large, people parrot what their parents taught them.  Sadly, with fewer and fewer parents teaching their kids much of anything related to matters of faith, young people’s belief system is the product of the mass media.”

SHANE: I think George has a good point.  However, he is referring primarily to the content of our mass media.  I happen to believe the more powerful shaper is from the form of our mass media.  Our mass media are dominantly image-based.  This is radically different than the form of media during the age of print.  With an image-based culture we end up lifting weights with our right brain far more than our left.  The result is we tend to atrophy linear reasoning stills and favor holistic, intuitive impressions. 

This shapes everything from the way we elect political leaders or the way we debate issues to the way we think about God or the way we interact with each other in church.  We are more emotive and less cognitive.  We are more intuitive and less analytical.  There are some important gains with this as well as some real losses.

The point is not to debate which way is better.  Neither is the point to simply reject and resist all innovation.  Such an effort is like trying to resist the wind and the tides.  Instead our invitation is to step back and understand, we must learn to dance with these forces, knowing when to push back, when to step aside, and when to go along.  After all, what doesn’t bend, breaks.

CATALYST: True dat.

1 Comment »

1. I’m a recent Marketing grad in Florida and work as a graphics designer/advertising associate at a church so I definitely follow with the holistic/right brained thinking.  The more I design, the more I’m realizing how much people desire, not just want, to be entertained.  And entertaining is only a small part of my job… I want to influence people to act.  If I only entertain, I have failed my church, that being the people who sacrifically give to allow me to do this full time and more importantly my God who has commanded me to advertise and communicate a Gospel which requires so much out of those who accept it and live it.

   What a resposibility.
   What a balance between fun, comical, “huh” effect advertising and true influencial communication.

   Comment by Ryanmchoate - Aug 21, 2008 @ 06:25 PM

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