Technology and Tradition
A while back, I read a post over at Challies. For those of you who don’t know, Tim Challies is a ridiculously popular blogger. He’s also a Canadian like myself. We also share a lot of the same beliefs about the world and God.
He recently did a series of posts called “Don’t Take Your iPod to Church.” I enjoyed the second post in particular. In that post, Tim addresses some of the problems with using an interactive, hyperlinked and ADHD friendly device for studying a seriously important book.
I’m inclined to agree, dear reader. I’m also inclined to think that maybe there’s an application for the rest of the reading we do. Not that I’m coming out against electronic reading formats in general. But perhaps, as Mr. Challies says, there’s something good about a medium that isn’t inherently distracting. Your thoughts?
Being a Challies fan myself, I too enjoyed the series you referred to. Thing is, I find myself with a much shorter attention span than I once knew. This is partly aging I think. But also the availability of info so immediate that I needn’t resort to the bookshelf is spoiling me. I think that spoiling is an accurate term in that I have lost something in the process. Still I surely am happy with technology that puts so much great stuff so near. I think at my age, I should be able to remain behind the technology curve far enough to need guys like you and to not completely depend on a “cyber-presence” to lead me.
Nothing matches reading an actual book for me. I don’t know if it has to do with less distraction, though. It may just be because I’ve been used to reading books for many years. But I do tend to “disappear” into a book while reading. The real world fades away, and I’m told it can be hard to get my attention, but I don’t know if I believe that.
It must be genetic, I’ve been accused of the same.
i tend to do the majority of my reading on my laptop. it may be that i am more comfortable with technology than some of the *cough* older readers here. or it could just be that i’m attached to my laptop anyway, so having a ton (at last count 2,119) books on the hard drive just allows me to read. either way, i have to say that i don’t find using my laptop to read, whether it be the bible or otherwise, to be distracting when i truly want to read. I think that if you truly desire to read, then you will read despite whatever distractions provided.
And lets be honest, it’s not like an ipod or a computer offer any more distraction than does reading in a room that has a window, a clock, and is within 75 feet of a refrigerator.