More Than a “Like”: Social Media Presence as Pastoral Care

Death and dying are never easy topics to broach. In some cultures, it is taboo to speak or even hint at death. But despite the silence around the topic, death never ceases to march on, ferrying souls from this world to the next. In the digital age the landscape of discussion is changing. No topic […]

Data Privacy and Terms of Service: A Graphic Novel

“What if we’re not getting a fair trade for our information?” asks Josh Neufeld in a new exploration of the bigger questions surrounding data privacy. (Added cool factor bonus: it’s a graphic novel). We’ve gotten used to giving services like Facebook or Gmail access to data about our lives. But as mobile devices have become ubiquitous […]

Is Facebook Your Window to the World? It Could Be Soon

As you may know, a few months ago Facebook announced that it was acquiring Oculus Rift, a maker of virtual reality headsets. Compare this news with this piece by artist Pawel Kuczynski:

Facebook and the False Self

Part 3 of our Lenten reflections on technology and spirituality. I think it’s time for Christians to give up giving Facebook up for Lent. While I realize that the intention behind giving up Facebook–or any other digital social network–for Lent is good, I think that just deactivating or uninstalling Facebook for 40 days can be […]

Paranoid Narcissism, Anxiety, and Embodiment in a Digital Culture

There are so many different sources of anxiety. I’m anxious about you reading this post and you’re probably anxious about wasting time reading this post. This week, Mark Zuckerberg got so anxious that he called President Obama to chat about some NSA activity he didn’t particularly like. This week, Dostoevsky has some advice for us […]

Social Media, Lent, and Biotechnology

While many of us give up social media for Lent, social media kind of exploded with Lenten fervor last week for those of us who haven’t given it up. Churchmojo.com encouraged its followers to spread Lenten devotion around the web with the ashtag hashtag, and it took off. You can see their original post below, […]

Reading List: Facebook’s Paper and Other Updates

If you missed it on your Facebook feed this past week, Facebook turned ten and released a new app, Paper. Unlike real paper you can’t write on it, burn it, or make compost with it, but there has been a lot of ink shed surrounding its release. The best piece I’ve read so far about […]

Reading List: Mass Mobs, Internet Inequality, and Big Ads

This week check out how much time you’ve wasted on Facebook, how not to get massively hacked, and read about the ‘likability’ of different sized internet ads. And if you missed it last week, be sure to check out Brett Robinson’s piece on what Apple is really selling: poetry, beauty, romance and meaning. Touching is […]

Reading List: Present Shock and Paul Miller, Obama and the Decline of Facebook

We hope you all had a great weekend. This week, you can read the estimates of how many millions of young people have left Facebook since 2011 and read why Obama thinks that is important for healthcare.gov. We’ve also got an anecdotal look at how the next generation perceives the internet and advertising and a […]

About Your Artsy Facebook Profile Pic

Hey, look at that— petunias near a curb, yet I can’t help but think it’s still superbly about you, you as you coyly hold back beyond the frame, saying matter-of-factly that it’s not about me and no “me” here. But everyone knows. It’s totally clear. Garish enough, however you treat it: no need for initials, […]

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