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| My dad's Ham Radio equipment. I still have the microphone. |
I learned this penchant for electronic gadgetry from my dad when I was just a kid. From before I was born he was involved in electronic communication through his Ham Radios. In the basement of our home on Miriam Lane in Decatur, GA, he had set up a small studio of equipment that he used for broadcasting a signal to connect with people in the states and in many foreign countries. It always fascinated me that we could sit in our modest house and be talking to someone that lived a world away from me.
Although the basement was unfinished, one of the block walls near his radio equipment was completely “wallpapered” with QSL cards from places all over the world. Not only was his radio equipment used for personal enjoyment, it also served as a tool for helping people during times of tragedy/crisis by relaying information to appropriate authorities. He ran "phone patches" for missionaries to talk with their families in the states. He made friends that to their dying days stayed in contact with one another. And, when you add his small 2 meter & 6 meter radios, he was as well connected in his generation as I am in mine.
I'll never forget the Saturdays he and I spent together at Hamfests at Stone Mountain State Park and other places around the Atlanta area. Most of what they talked about at these all day events I didn't really understand, but it's part of the reason I love technology today. My dad introduced me to electronics and created an interest in me for it that I enjoy till this day. Though I never earned my Ham Radio license (something I think he'd have loved me to do), it was my dad that introduced me to my first computer and insisted that I learn to use it.
Now you can understand better my interest in things that some people consider to be nothing more than a necessary nuisance.
Social Media Addiction
One of the "advancements" that intrigues me is this whole phenomena dealing with social media. There is hardly a day that passes that I don't post a few messages and take some time to read what people are talking about online. It's similar to what my dad did by way of his Ham Radios, only much simpler and less technical to use. Everyday I connect with friends from around the states and around the world. Social media and the Internet is today's equivalent of my dad's Ham Radio. It's a tool, it's a toy, it's total fun...SOME DAYS!
But, we also have to remember that social media (computers, technology, Ham Radios, cell phones, texting, etc.) can become addictive. How many times a day do you check Facebook, Twitter, Google+, your cell phone, etc.? Probably more than you realize!
I read an honest confession by a pastor who is battling with his addiction to social media. Listen to his transparent assessment of the struggle.
“A little over a month ago I was with a group of about ten people or so in a restaurant where we had gathered to celebrate and reflect on the end of a pretty intense season of ministry we had just completed. We had seen God do some amazing things and had more than enough reasons to be excited about the evening.
“We got our menus, spoke with each other about the options in front of us and then chatted about what we preferred and then placed our order with the waiter.
“After the waiter was gone I pulled out my cell phone. Please understand, no one had texted me. No one had called me. I did not have any voice messages from earlier in the day. Why did I pull out my cell phone then? Simple…I needed to check Twitter.
“As I did this something told me to stop and listen…and when I did I heard no conversations taking place at the table. No laughing. No celebration. No recalling what the Lord had done. Then I looked up and discovered why…
“EVERY SINGLE PERSON AT THE TABLE WAS LOOKING DOWN AT THEIR CELL PHONE!
“Doing what, I have no idea…probably twitter, facebook or whatever…but what stood out to me in a very convicting way was that ALL of us were neglecting being connected with the people who were right in front of us and were engaging in something else that, for some reason we all considered to be more important.
“...Here I was with a group of friends that I should be enjoying life with and instead I was obsessed with an online perception that I somehow felt was more important than the relationships that were right in front of me.
“Thoughts began to flood my mind of other times I had done the same…
--The times I had been on the couch with [my wife], and instead of engaging her in conversation I am seeing how many people re-tweeted me.
--The times that [my daughter] had been trying to get my attention and instead I was trying to see how many “likes” that [my] Facebook page had.
--The times that I had been in a room FULL of people and opportunities to engage in conversations that mattered, but instead I was more obsessed with clearing another level of Angry Birds.
“...I realized that I was neglecting real community, real people who were right in front of me [emphasis mine] and instead engaging in relationships online that were superficial at best and achieving “high scores” on games that had absolutely zero significant value.
“Honestly, if I found out today that I had 30 days to live my obsessions would not become how many twitter followers I could gain, how many times I could dominate “words with friends” or even having to check who had written on my Facebook wall in the past 15 minutes. It would be people, REAL people and REAL relationships that would be important to me. [emphasis mine]”
It’s very easy to get caught up being “connected” to people online while ignoring the ones who have chosen to spend “real time” with you. When you’re neglecting those that are present with you by carrying on a texting conversation with someone that isn’t with you (and it’s not an emergency), it may indicate an addiction in your life.
Please hear me...there is nothing wrong with technology and the opportunities to connect with people online. It just has to be kept in perspective and you have to place the greater value on the "real" relationships in your life...not the virtual ones.
