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| Internet
Addiction
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Of all the various
areas of man’s cultural advancements over the past several
generations, none has been more significant, more influential,
or more embraced by the masses than the implements of
communication.
Take the telephone, for example. A few short years ago only a
few people had a telephone. What fascination when you heard
two short rings and long. Now people carry phones around in
their pocket or purse and talk to folks around the world. And
the ring is more likely to be a symphonic strain or a rap
rhythm than a bell ringing.
Take radio and television, for another example. The changes in
broadcasting have been many–and astoundingly influential. It
was not long ago that people gathered around the radio in the
evenings to hear a static-filled broadcast of some news story
or the “hit parade.” Not any more. We no longer get
reports of the news, we see it as it’s happening. It’s
impossible to accurately measure the influence of the media on
society.
Records were an immediate rage after the vinyl process of
capturing sound was invented. First, there were 78rpm records,
then came the little 45s, and finally the 33 1/3s where you
could even have 12 or 14 songs on one record. But before long
came 8-track tapes, then cassette tapes, and then the Compact
Discs or CDs, (which according to the experts, are now on
their way out), bringing about the possibility of putting
literally thousands of songs on one small iPod or MP3 player,
one you can carry around in your shirt pocket.
All this technology has changed the world. And is
changing the world. It has affected people in both good and
bad ways. I appreciate the former, but I worry about the
latter.
But without a doubt, the most influential of all the
technological advancements, particularly in the field of
communication, is the computer. It has invaded–and in many
cases, assisted–every area of human life. But what worries
me is not just the computer, but the one huge monstrous being
that has come out of the computer.
The internet.
The internet has had a power and influence not before felt
since God forbade the tower of Babel. It apparently knows no
bounds. It is nearly, if not all together, uncontrollable. It
has enjoyed a mindless acceptance like no other invention. It
knows nothing of morality. It has no respect for ethical
conduct. It runs rampant–and wherever it wants to go.
Furthermore, it is addictive.
In every sense of the word, the internet is addictive.
This addiction, this mindless acceptance, has led to all sorts
of immoral conduct. There is even a thing called internet
sex. Pornographic sites are available in abundance–all
kinds of them. People exchange information–much of it
regretfully dirty– and say things about and to one another
in ways and in language they would never use in face-to-face
conversation. Here is a system of communication that could be
used for the highest kinds of moral produce, that could bring
millions to Christ, educate millions, and bring peace to the
world. It is dedicated instead to the lowest and most
banal–even stupid–of purposes.
The internet has a powerful ability to capture people. It
takes control of people’s minds, drags them into foolish
routines, takes over their attention in a way that no
communication tool–including television advertising–has
ever done. People get so they can’t pass by the internet. It
controls literally millions of people. It has captured their
time, blunted their imagination, and brought them into a
zombie-like servitude. It is no less addictive than drugs or
pornography. In fact, the internet has so legitimized
pornography that what I choose to call light porn is
almost everywhere.
Christians beware! The internet can become your little icon.
It can gradually take away your sternness and moral rigidity.
It can gradually diminish your denunciation of sin and retard
your inclination to holiness and piety. And its addiction
comes so cleverly that you hardly know it’s happening. I
worry about what may happen to the next generation; and a
large portion of that concern is because of the internet.
I am not making a plea that we quit the internet. It has great
potential. It has a legitimate use. I’m merely making a plea
that we control it, instead of it controlling us. Use it
wisely. Use it well. And it likely wouldn’t hurt if we
decided to use it less.
Dee Bowman
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Copyright (C)
2009
Southside Church of Christ
All rights reserved.
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