Have you ever found yourself trying to remember how you used to do things before you had your latest gizmo or piece of technology? For example, 95% of the news I read is through a mobile app on my phone. Before the app, I would visit websites every day and before that?... well, I guess I never was a big fan of printed newspaper or waiting around for the 11 o’clock local news. I’m amazed at how fast technology changes the way we do simple things. I’m sure my kids will laugh when I tell them about CDs, land line phones or even laptops!
Technology changes our daily life so quickly that we can’t remember the change even occurred. I’ve had computers around since I was in middle school, so I can’t really relate to working without email or the web, but somehow people got stuff done for thousands of years before that. I’m actually quite fascinated with how people used to do stuff, from keeping foods preserved to doing international business, and how we got to the place we are today. One of the things I have appreciated most about these rapid changes is how accessible media has become. I distinctly remember when iTunes came out. It wasn’t the first place to play mp3s on your computer (or even to categorize them), but it was designed well and linked to an online store where everything was available at the click of a button, and actually legal. That not only helped change how we purchase and organize our music, but I believe it was the catalyst for Apple’s incredible 10 year run as new devices like the iPod came out that synced with the free software you were already using. Now just a few years later, we’ve entered a whole new realm of mobile access. As a sports fan, I have found myself in the past at an event where I was wishing I could check up on the score of the big game. Well today, not only can I keep up with the latest scores through an app, but I can actually watch the games live on my phone - from anywhere! Now, this may not actually be a good thing for me because I’ll always be tempted to check in on that game no matter what I’m doing, but I digress.
Another catalyst for fast changing media technology has been Netflix. Not only did they change the way we rent the latest blockbuster, but they have an entire catalog of TV shows and movies that I can watch online, through my gaming console, or on my phone. Fifteen years ago (when full house was still on the air) I could have only dreamed this would be possible. I’ll have to admit, when I first saw the iPhone, I had a hard time sleeping as my mind ran wild thinking of the possibilities, and it hasn’t disappointed. These days I would feel trapped without my iPhone. I mean, how did I ever get by with just a phone and text messaging? What did I do when I needed to find out currency exchange between the Norwegian Krone and the US Dollar while at the beach?
So, as we now have access to nearly anything at any time, how do we balance that with real life and real relationships? I mean, I’m thankful that I can simply DVR something I wanted to watch from my phone, or listen to a specific artist’s radio station from my car, but there needs to be a proper focus on real relationships and meaningful content. Technology definitely changes the way we live, but it shouldn’t change the purpose we use it for. Here at Subsplash, we have created a platform for churches to share Gospel content through media. It’s simply amazing to see how many people are watching or listening to sermons from all corners of the globe, but this also will never replace real relationships and being a part of a church community, and it’s not supposed to. It does offer us new opportunities to use technology for Kingdom purposes and lets us take advantage of the tools that we have today to make good content readily available to anyone, anywhere. We just have to remember to unplug and engage every once in a while.