Triviality and information overload

Every week I interact with teenagers. It’s more rewarding (and challenging) than I anticipate, every time.

I tell whoever will listen that the greatest danger facing our youth is being swept away in a sea of triviality . There are endless waves of nonsense competing for their attention, and we must teach them to know a few things so well they are gripped (or anchored) by them. By God. By the Gospel. By God-centered and others-directed love which compels us to give our lives away (2 Cor. 5:9-21).

I contend that adults are essentially junior high students, past the changing-everything-stage, and more stuck in their ways. Our passions are what drive us, and we are just as prone to be swept away in a sea of triviality. Meaningless knows no age-range.

Consider this commentary by John Dyer , coupled with this introductory comic strip for  Neil Postman’s book Amusing Ourselves to Death . Can’t improve on their insights. (Look at the comic strip first, then Dyer’s thoughts.) Remember Huxley and Orwell? You will.

An excerpt from Dyer:

Information Deprivation vs. Information Overload
(Orwell’s fears versus Huxley’s fears)

Postman points out two major concerns:

1. The kind of information we intake is insignificant.
2. The amount of information we intake overshadows what little significant information we do intake.

In other words, if you read a passage of Scripture in the morning, then later consume lots of TV shows, blogs, and advertisements, it doesn’t matter if the content is morally good or morally bad, the sheer volume of information will dilute anything truly great and tend you toward seeking more and more insignificant material.

I have to ask myself: am I really a more intelligent, loving, godly person because of my constant access to the never ending stream of news? I imagine Dostoevsky would have longed to have the remainder of the Old Testament – do I long to be saturated by God’s word as much as I long for new interesting tech news?

How about you, are you satured with the significant or overwhelmed by the meaningless?