In the previous article, we saw how the Internet can be used for good or evil. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at some of the key technologies that have provided the Internet revolution. We’ll specifically address the entire communication topic, from SMS to email, Twitter and Skype. It is an area full of disturbing, deep and real problems, but which, when used wisely, can produce immense benefits for both individuals and organizations.
In 2007, Brandi Terry, a 17-year-old Utah resident, was visiting her grandfather when she passed a red light and found a job. In a radio interview, [i] he recalled what had happened:
- Could you just open your eyes?paramedics.
- One man said.
- “Brandi.
- Brandi.
- ” and I burst into tears.
- Didn’t you know what had happened? Terry had a broken right ankle and a broken right forearm.
- He didn’t walk for months.
- When police checked his cell phone.
- They discovered he had sent a message seconds before the accident.
- Even after recovering.
- He continued to talk about his habit of texting while driving.
- She said.
- “I tried very hard not to do that.
- And I’ve gotten to the point of doing it only once every five minutes?I don’t know.
- It’s addictive.
- Can’t I stop?.
- Then why are you doing this?.
In a BBC report in March 2008, Professor Cary Cooper, a UK government adviser on the issue of stress in the workplace, suggested that “email is the most damaging stress factor of our time. “[He] went on to say that The British take 14 million days due to illness a year due to stress, and that email is the biggest source of anxiety among employees: “We are connected 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; Connected by mobile phone, Blackberry, emails and full range of technologies, so we are on call almost all the time ?.
Wherever we look, we find people addicted to checking cell phone messages, as it is common to see rows of teenagers sitting together, glued to their mobile phones, with their headphones firmly placed, wondering if, in fact, they communicate by SMS!
Teenagers aren’t the only ones guilty of this kind of behavior, and anyone who’s ever flown witnesses it. As soon as the plane lands, mobile phones, Blackberry or iPhones are launched to check every message that has just been lost. !
Or consider the recent case of a man who, when questioned by a school principal, continued to check his cell phone during the interview, each time he received a text message. He didn’t get the job!
Why are we doing this?”Addicts,” according to the Webster dictionary, is “delivered to something obsessively or habitually. “
Isn’t it the sinful part of selfish human nature that makes us think we are indispensable? Even more so when we become addicted to email, SMS, Twitter or countless new forms of communication, this is the opposite of what we read. in Philippians 2. 3: “Do not do anything out of partisanship or boastfulness, but out of humility, considering yourself superior to yourself. “
Another new technology that has surprised people is Twitter. It started in 2006 and saw a 1,382% monthly increase in the number of users! Twitter is a service that allows its users to send and read messages of up to 140 characters, called “tweets. ” Anyone can sign up to receive these tweets. Some of the biggest stars in the entertainment industry and some politicians are very successful. Three and a half million people follow each one? Tweet sent by Britney Spears, while two and a half million of them need to know every step of Barack Obama. Do people feel more for their favorite artists and politicians?
However, much can be said in favor of this new medium, such as missionary organizations, which can significantly reduce their costs by replacing letters with emails, in an instant they can inform people of their prayer requests, difficult circumstances or reasons. to rejoice Organizations like him? Christian Institute? And others use Twitter to keep their followers informed about significant progress.
Or think of parents separated from their married children and grandchildren, who can now view and chat with them through free online video services, such as Skype. Today, the world is much smaller!
For example, Twitter has been at the center of recent protests in Iran, because in addition to being very easy for ordinary people to use, it is also very difficult to control for a central authority. Similarly, text messages can be of great value in an emergency.
All of this has changed the way we interact with each other and has certainly helped increase stress levels, as people are now available all the time. Employers give their employees a Blackberry and hope to be able to request their services at any time of the day or night!
And this change has come to last, as postal services will see, with an annual drop of 10% in the sending of conventional letters.
When we consider our society to be active 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, we realize that the biblical principles of self-control, selfishness, and work remain. James’ book explains this very clearly in stating that where there is envy and feelings of faction, there is confusion and all kinds of bad things. However, the wisdom above is, above all, pure; then, peaceful, indulgent, treatable, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, unpretentious?Santiago 3: 16-17.
Unlike what happens around us, we should not be addicted to email, SMS, Twitter or any other form of communication, they are tools that must be used for good, they should not control us.
We must also apply the principle of James 1:19, be ready to listen, late to speak, late to be angry; In other words, we need to think about how we communicate with people; for example, we need to think about how a person will read or misunderstand an email. Our responses should be considered, evaluated and integrated. You have to consider everything that is true, everything that is respectable, everything that is right, everything that is pure, everything that is kind, everything that is of good fame ?, everything that has virtues and praises and thinks of these things. Philippians 4. 8.
Calculate that the?Spam?reach more than 90% of email traffic, it is important that we follow simple steps like installing a spam filter, although many email providers like Google and BT already have it, and also use antivirus software. However, in addition to these things, Christian principles such as self-control or humility are crucial.
Some Christian couples have discovered that sharing an email account may be helpful, while others suggest that not responding immediately to emails or text messages is a good way to avoid its addictive effects. The idea of not responding the same day to a message that bothered us. It is particularly useful to leave it in the eraser box and reread it the next day, before sending it, can prevent a lot of damage.
I conclude with a true and interesting story, which can be applied to all new forms of communication: two friends were together, out of the house, cutting wood, the house phone slept several times and finally one of the friends asked the other if he did not want to answer. The owner of the house simply said 😕 The phone is convenient, but for now, is it annoying?
In the next article we will see social networks such as Facebook, LinkedIn and others, we will also see instant communicators, concluding with some positive, useful and practical tips.
By: David Clark. © Website: parentsandtheinternet. blogspot. com Translated with permission. Source: Part 2? Communicate with Internet technology.
Original: Communication through Internet technology. © Return to the Gospel. Website: voltemosaoevangelho. com All rights reserved. Translation: Walria Coicev.