Analog Faith in a Digital Age
We are at a moment in history where we are seeing an interesting schism taking place. On the one hand secularization is growing and being reinforced by the usage of smartphones and the internet; but it is also causing a rise and stronger attachment to ones faith. What is it about the internet that is driving this age old wedge, deeper?
"The internet is changing how we process information and trust the sources from which it comes. To cope with the relentless flow of incoming information, in which fake and real are increasingly indistinguishable, we are developing defaults of distrust and trust in which atheism and fundamentalism can flourish but other forms of religious belief are difficult to sustain. Those most affected by these developments are Gen Z, the smartphone generation.
But the challenges the internet poses to belief extend beyond Gen Z, and even beyond religion. Our capacity and motivation to assess the relative credibility of conflicting claims, or the trustworthiness of competing sources of information more generally, depends ultimately on our preserving analog forms of belief that leave room for nuance and uncertainty. A digital world with no room for analog faith is a world in which reasoned debate between people holding different beliefs is ultimately impossible."
We are at a moment in history where we are seeing an interesting schism taking place. On the one hand secularization is growing and being reinforced by the usage of smartphones and the internet; but it is also causing a rise and stronger attachment to ones faith. What is it about the internet that is driving this age old wedge, deeper?
"The internet is changing how we process information and trust the sources from which it comes. To cope with the relentless flow of incoming information, in which fake and real are increasingly indistinguishable, we are developing defaults of distrust and trust in which atheism and fundamentalism can flourish but other forms of religious belief are difficult to sustain. Those most affected by these developments are Gen Z, the smartphone generation.
But the challenges the internet poses to belief extend beyond Gen Z, and even beyond religion. Our capacity and motivation to assess the relative credibility of conflicting claims, or the trustworthiness of competing sources of information more generally, depends ultimately on our preserving analog forms of belief that leave room for nuance and uncertainty. A digital world with no room for analog faith is a world in which reasoned debate between people holding different beliefs is ultimately impossible."