We become like the things we spend the most time with.

At the beginning of this year, I made a goal for myself to stop reading journalism with shallow or narrow perspectives. I didn’t like the way it was forming me to think and I wanted to be more proactive about the things I let into my mind. I canceled my news subscription and signed up for a print magazine. I don’t agree with everything this magazine publishes but I like the way it makes me think.

I’ve had a habit for a little while now of checking their top stories each day and reading them. Over time, I’ve noticed that the more I read their articles, the more I start to embrace their way of thinking. Their view of the world, culture, and social issues has impacted how I consider and evaluate issues in my own life and I appreciate the way it’s deepened my ability to think critically.

We become like the things we spend the most time with.

This reality was something that the Hebrew educational system in Jesus’ time seemed to take very seriously. An ancient Hebrew proverb says something to the effect of “may you be covered in the dust of your Rabbi.” The image here evokes someone who follows so closely behind their teacher that the dust from his feet is kicked up onto them and covers them. This was the educational system Jesus chose to invite His followers into, one where the dust from His feet would cover them as they followed Him ever more closely.

This image of discipleship has been top of mind for me over the last few years as I’ve considered the things that I allow to shape and form me. I’ve been led to ask myself the difficult question: “is there anything or anyone I allow to ‘disciple me' more than Jesus does?” If I’m honest, there is one thing that competes most successfully for my attention.

The global daily average for time spent on screens is 6 hours, 58 minutes. Statistics such as this one are often presented in an alarming way. I don’t believe this is always warranted - it’s a fact of life that in our digital age, we will spend much time working, communicating, and recreating through digital devices. At the same time, I fear that many Christians who hope to seriously follow Jesus, have not given enough thought to how these digital devices are forming and shaping them. In other words, do I ever consider what kind of person my technology is making me into?

Here are some of the questions I have used over the last few years to evaluate the impact technology is having on my life, as well as a practice recommended by my spiritual director that has been instrumental in helping me make room for Jesus to be the one who forms me first.

Is this extending or atrophying my humanity?

Technology is a terrific convenience. From modern heating and cooling devices to communications technology, it has in many ways made it so much easier for us to go about the everyday tasks of life. We must consider that this convenience comes at a cost. My home may always be warm during the wintertime now (a necessity for living through Canadian winters!) but I’m not particularly good at making a fire. I have access to all the world’s information through a simple Google search but I also no longer have the need to memorize information. I can play music through my Sonos speaker at any time but I rarely sing and play guitar with my family.

These are tradeoffs and many of them are worth it. I am in no way advocating that we return to a world before HVAC, search engines, and smart speakers. It is important though, that as certain things become easier, we consider the ways these technologies atrophy our capacity for humanity like bonding around a campfire, sharing information with one another through conversation, and singing songs together. 

I’ve found it helpful to consider these tradeoffs and see if there are ways my technology can even augment human experiences. Even if I don’t pull my guitar out all the time, my family can still dance around in the living room to Earth, Wind & Fire - a new and beautiful human experience all to itself.

Where am I experiencing truth, beauty, and goodness?

Truth, beauty, and goodness are the classical “transcendentals” or ways we experience God. Each of them expresses a key component of God’s character and in turn, are a part of the created order God has established. Technology is unique in its capacity to facilitate encounters with truth, beauty, and goodness or to so mute our senses that we can no longer see them even when we’re away from our devices.

We should always be considering if we are still able to notice truth, beauty, and goodness in the world, both through and away from our devices. I find truth in a well written article, beauty in a good movie or album, and goodness on a FaceTime call but I can also find them in a book or lecture, in the ocean near my house, and in friends gathering in my kitchen. The allure of the screen can sometimes pull us away from these real-life transcendental experiences and so we must counter-form ourselves to make sure we have a healthy balance.

Am I growing or regressing in love for other people?

One of the biggest concerns people have expressed about technology is the way it so easily facilitates unhealthy human encounters. Behind the safety of a social media handle, a person can say whatever nasty things they would like with relatively little consequences. Texting is useful for communicating logistical details but we lose vast amounts of information when we don’t have body language or tonal cues.

These aspects of the digital environment form us. If we don’t regularly expose ourselves to the real, joyful, and painful aspects of human relationships, we run the risk of becoming vitriolic and monotone in real life. It can be helpful to ask the question generally “how am I growing in love?” If you find that technology is hindering your ability to love completely, it might be time to take a break and spend time in the physical company of someone else.

One hour a day, one day a week, one week a year

One practice that has been incredibly formative for me is to spend one hour a day, one day a week, and one week a year without my devices. At first, this is a very difficult practice, especially for the longer stretches, but over time I’ve realized how little I actually need them. This practice allows me to reap the benefits of owning a smartphone but to break my attachment to it as well.

I usually spend the first hour of the day (and more recently the time between dinner and my daughter’s bedtime as well) phone free so that I can be fully present to the most important things (prayer and time with my family). Every Sunday, I put my devices in a drawer for the day so I can more fully appreciate the Sabbath day. I’m still trying to execute the week away well but even spending as little time as possible on my phone during vacation has been very helpful.

Technology is not evil. Our smartphones and other devices have opened up all sorts of new possibilities and made life easier in many wonderful ways. As with all good things though, it is best enjoyed in moderation. It’s important that we take time to consider what kind of person we are becoming by our technology use and do our best to become less like our algorithms and over time, become more like Jesus instead.