The medium and the message
Implications of modern technology on life, thought and culture

ONE of the more interesting commentators on modern society was Marshall McLuhan who coined the phrase "The Medium is the Message". This phrase sought to capture the profound yet often unnoticed implications of modern technology upon modern life, thought and culture.


Neither an irrational alarmist nor anti-technology, he saw the great benefits of technology to extend our natural abilities in profound and positive ways. Nonetheless, his contribution was to bring to the surface implications of these technological extensions that at times placed self and society at risk.


McLuhan argued for both the use of and careful reflection upon technology for the common good. In this regard he formulated four questions or laws that should be asked of any technology. First, "What does it (the medium or technology) extend?" For example the car extends the foot. What once represented long laborious hiking now can be travelled comfortably and quickly. The cell-phone extends the voice or the ear so that we may listen or talk to persons on the other side of the planet.


The second question is "What does it make obsolete?" For the car, it makes walking long distances obsolete while the cell-phone has made foot couriers, carrier pigeons or smoke-signals relics of the past.


The third question asks, "What is retrieved?" The freedom to travel quickly and in comfort is retrieved with the car, and the fun and fellowship of connecting with friends is made instantaneous with SMS on our cell-phones.


The fourth question asks, "What does the technology reverse into if it is over-extended?" Over-extension of the car can create terrible traffic jams where it becomes faster to walk than to ride. The over-extension of the use of the cell-phone can lead to a diminishment of personal encounter and fellowship of friends; indeed, it is now not uncommon to see two persons sitting together at a table each talking to someone else on their cell-phones.


Christianity has certainly not been immune to the impact of technology. Luther would have remained an obscure monk had it not been for Gutenberg's recently invented printing press that spread his Bible translation and ideas across Europe. Billy Graham would have been limited to the backwoods of North Carolina apart from mass media and transportation that helped his crusade to go global. Indeed, Powerpoint presentations and examining different translations of a biblical text on a Palmpad technology have become a given in the life of the modern Singapore Church.

That said, all the more we ought to pay attention to the four questions McLuhan asks if we are to avoid some unintended negative consequences of the use of technology. For example, our use of the overhead and Powerpoint extends the type of music available to us and releases us to worship in new ways; so much so that the hymn book in many churches has become obsolete.


Without a hymn book in our hands, we can look up, clap or lift our hands in praise and worship. On the other hand, our use of Powerpoint and overheads has removed from our vision the musical score. Without the musical score the four-part harmony that led to the beauty and intricacy of the great hymns has been lost in a modern monotone.


In terms of Scripture, I have noted that more people are using computer pads as opposed to bound Bibles. Again this extends by making the text present much quicker, cross-references can be quickly checked, and biblical reference tools are at the touch of our fingers. Indeed, recently I was surprised after a sermon on Jonah when a parishioner showed me Luther's translation of a text that followed my own. I was amazed, there at the touch of a button was Luther's German Bible.
On the other hand, without the book and page before us, the text becomes isolated from the rest of Scripture. As biblical scholars would point out, where the books of the Bible are located and their arrangement are important factors in their being understood properly. Needless to say, Christians with their personal Bible tucked under their arm at church is getting rare.


Nonetheless, electronic Bibles have their drawbacks. My own Bible with its cracked leather binding is a reference work in itself. No it doesn't have a concordance, nor is it a "study Bible" with maps, translations, or even cross-references. What it contains are small handwritten notes of reflections, insights, concerns and prayers gathered over 20 years: an old prayer note for a friend not seen in 20 years, a fine script of another's hand that has been near to mine nearly as long as this Bible. I simply can't imagine a software program that could contain so much.


All this is not to rail against technological progress. If that were so, I would be chief amongst sinners. Rather, what MacLuhan recognised is that unless we are careful and use God's gift of reflection and careful choice, the very blessing of technology can easily become a curse of unintended consequences. A Christian, the words on MacLuhan's gravestone read: "The Truth Shall Make You Free". Wise words to be remembered as we incorporate the gift of technology into our praise and worship of the living God.

The Rev Dr Tom Harvey, a lecturer at Trinity Theological College, works with the Singapore Presbyterian Church as a Partner in Mission from the Presbyterian Church (USA).

QUOTE:

WHERE ARE THE HYMN BOOKS?

'Our use of the overhead and Powerpoint extends the type of music available to us and releases us to worship in new ways; so much so that the hymn book in many churches has become obsolete. Without a hymn book in our hands, we can look up, clap or lift our hands in praise and worship. On the other hand, our use of Powerpoint and overheads has removed from our vision the musical score. Without the musical score the four-part harmony that led to the beauty and intricacy of the great hymns has been lost in a modern monotone.'