Family Time

“Social media cannot replace the interaction of friends and family sitting around a barbecue or cafe discussing life and each other and providing a positive environment,” wrote John Ford of Glendowie in the Editorial and letters section of New Zealand Herald on February 25, 2014. He was commenting on the suicide of TV personality and Australia’s Top Next Model judge Charlotte Dawson as a result of character assassination in social media.

True that the internet has made the world smaller every day, with communicating with friends and family available at the tip of one’s finger.  But there is a dark side of technological advancement in social media, described in two words: “addictive” and “impersonal”.

One can fall into the tentacles of digital connectivity with engaging games, instant celebrity bonding, unlimited self-promotion & gratification, and a lot of dirty stuff. Under the cloak of secrecy, evil people commit fraud and cyber bullying.

Pope Francis has acknowledged the impact of social media saying that ““The Internet, in particular, offers immense possibilities for encounter and solidarity. This is something truly good, a gift from God.”  He cautions us: “The speed with which information is communicated exceeds our capacity for reflection and judgment, and this does not make for more balanced and proper forms of expression. … We need, for example, to recover a certain sense of deliberateness and calm. This calls for time and the ability to be silent and to listen.”

We need to realize that the internet cannot substitute for personal interaction. Shirley Engelmeier in a business article wrote: “When personal touch is lost, time is not lost, but meaningful relationship building is. Technology has “lazyfied” the communications process and the outcome diminishes the effectiveness and efficiency of getting messages sent and received. Harnessing the power of face-to-face communication is key to harnessing the power of your workforce…keeping them happy, and working for you longer.”

If personal interaction is important in a business environment, more so in the basic unit of society: the family. When was the last time you all shared a meal in the dining table? Did you have a family picnic in summer? Do you still pray the Rosary together?

The pontiff advises: “It is not enough to be passersby on the digital highways, simply ‘connected’; connections need to grow into true encounters. We cannot live apart, closed in on ourselves. We need to love and be loved. We need tenderness.”