There is no question that recent advances in technology have forever changed our world. Technology has added a plethora of conveniences and supportive functionalities. Waze gets us places faster. Google gets us more information than we can learn in a lifetime. Entertainment platforms give us personalized songs, streaming movies and non-stop news feeds. Customization and personalization are commonplace. Shopping is private and personal. The list goes on. However, the most transformative technology is social media.
The various social media platforms keep friends connected, generate opportunities to forge new relationships and give new meaning to sharing. The many advantages of social media are plain to see, and millions of people have embraced its alluring qualities that particularly resonate with teens.
It’s easy to dismiss those who are reticent about new technologies. Historically, new innovations were always met with skeptics. Those who express concerns about technology are often characterized as Luddites.
But slowly, social scientists and thought leaders are beginning to raise concerns about the proliferation of technology and the ubiquitous smart phones that can be mastered by children in the youngest grades of elementary school. Nicholas Carr, in his book “The Shallows,” raises many concerning observations about technology’s effect on thinking. Professor Sherry Turkle of MIT, in her book “Alone Together,” shares objections that are acutely obvious to every high school and elementary school educator. The term “friends” has new meanings, she argues. Whereas a generation ago the term “friends” implied human engagement with ongoing dialogue and sharing, today, friends are electronic, impersonal and fraught with misleading posturing. She explains that social media friendships encourage reimaging self to create a new self to ensure that users can generate new friends. She reports that a common concern of teens is confusing the different selves that they project through various social media platforms.
Whereas the term “unfriend” seems innocuous, it can in fact be toxic. The internet enables and encourages superficial relationships, friendships that could come and go with a click of the mouse. One of her conclusions is that social media has connected people electronically but has distanced people emotionally.
In a high school environment, educators now witness a strange new phenomenon. Rows of students can sit together, all using their various gadgets, enjoying the sense of togetherness, but not connecting with anyone around them. A detached attachment can transform the emotional development of young adults and may stymie their social skills.
The world online has influenced the way girls see themselves. Peggy Orenstein, in her book “Girls and Sex,” enumerates multiple harmful effects the internet and social media have on healthy teenage girl development. One observation worth mentioning is self objectification. Whereas society for decades has objectified women and consequently created unrealistic expectations for many young adults, teenage girls are now objectifying themselves. The obsession to create the perfect selfie is a form of self objectification that is intended to present a teen in a way that she believes will win her more friends.
Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” was intended to alert thoughtful citizens during the early stages of the Industrial Revolution to the double-edged sword of progress. Some modern reviewers of JK Rowling’s work argue that Harry Potter is a commentary on technology and how it can be used to enhance society or corrupt it. Social scientists should raise an alarm that is unsettling and disquieting.
We have all seen the great benefit of social media and technology. Through the various platforms and portals, we are more aware of chesed opportunities; we can engage in ongoing Torah study; we can transform learning and bring new ideas to people who are on the margins or in the shadows. But just like the gold that the Jews took from Egypt to use in Eretz Yisrael but instead donated to the Golden Calf, technology is a neutral power that needs to be understood, controlled and properly channeled.
As Jews, we are fortunate. We can find balance and perspective by understanding the technology of Torah. From the earliest stages of Jewish education, children are taught to take responsibility for community. Communal contact and meaningful engagement are built into our weekly rituals. Shabbat draws people from their solitude, pulls them from behind their walls and brings families to shul for tefillah, inspiration and connection.
As consumers of technology, we have a great deal to benefit from embracing our time-honored traditions that mean more today than they ever have before.
By Rabbi Eliezer Rubin
Rabbi Eliezer Rubin is the JKHA/RKYHS head of school and Klatt Family rosh hayeshiva.
