I find this article to be amazing for two reasons. Firstly, who would have guessed that the Pope knew what blogging was? I can see him now texting one of his Cardinals on his Blackberry: "Gr8 service on Sunday! Ttyl" It makes me curious as to how hip he is in general. I wonder who's on his iPod?
My second source of fascination is the Catholic Church itself. Here we have an institution that has been around for nearly two millenniums. It is pretty conservative to say the least. Not much has changed over the past 2000 years, and most of what has changed was not at the Church's discretion, i.e. Protestant Reformation. To see blogging work its way into the Church is a true sign that Bob Dylan was right.
We've already seen pre-Y2K'ers embrace the wealth and resources that the internet and other technology has provided; Politicians tweeting, CNN accepting news via text messages, grandmas getting facebooks (my grandpa would not be pleased...) and now the super-conservative Catholic Church blogging. What does all of this mean? Do these people feel pressured to conform with technology in order to stay relevant? Or is it just to make things easier for others? If I open up a business but have no website, am I doomed from the start? Is using technology even a choice anymore?
Josh
Note: I was hesitant to discuss this article because of the religious subject in fear of creating controversy. I did not mean to insult anyone at all and if I did, I apologize. Intentions can be misinterpreted in text sometimes.
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5 comments:
First off, I think that's hilarious. Can I email the Pope my confessions? :)
The times, they are a changing. I don't think anyone's necessarily pressured to conform to technological advances, I think its more honestly of a natural progression. Think of this. Here we are, animals. Humans. How can I see in the dark? Tom Edison creates a lightbulb. How can I talk to my neighbor without leaving the house? Alex G Bell creates a phone. How can I travel a long distance in a short time? Daimler and Benz create an automobile. World trade pops up and is evermore present as time progresses. International trade, International communication. How can I talk to my buddy in Indonesia without leaving my chair and without paying a high phone bill? Cerf invents the internet.
It's more than an 'everybody's doing it' kind of thing. I don't believe it's conformity, I think it's a change that is necessary and unstoppable. Technology, according to Wikipedia: "deals with human as well as other animal species' usage and knowledge of tools and crafts, and how it affects a species' ability to control and adapt to its natural environment." In a document I recently read for HST 373 (History of the Modern Middle East) the Ottoman government, while speaking of urbanizing a community states, “God has graced human beings with a characteristic that is absent from any other” (p.19 in Khater: Sources in the History of the Modern Middle East). This characteristic is the need to advance and progress. And so this is what I am saying here. I do not believe institutions like the church, schools, etc. are conforming to technology; I believe it's an undeniable characteristic in the human brain to advance, move forward, progress- and we have done that through technological advancements and continue to do so as those advancements seep into our human institutions.
So to answer your final question: technology isn't a choice, its an advancement that is uncontrollable by human nature. People may say they hate change, but change is unavoidable. In this case, the change is towards a fully technological world- covering all aspects from economy, military, education, and even now, religion.
I thought your post was very interesting, it's crazy to think of the Pope being updated with technology. Technology has changed so much in just even the past 10 years. In the past when you were young you would go over to kids houses in the neighborhood and ask them if they wanted to play. Now instead of physical going and asking it's just a quick text away.
When reading this I was trying to think of a way to relate this to picture books and it made me wonder how they would be affected by advances in technology. Maybe eventually they won't even be illustrated by an individual but rather be a series of computer images.
It's refreshing to think that particular institutions are endorsing and embracing these new changes rather then writing them off. As previously stated change is inevitable and necessary. It's gotten us to where we are today and it will continue to keep changing and advancing.
to think of a Pope using facebook or twittering his thoughts. But on the other hand I wonder if somewhere in the near future if this will be a necessity. I was talking with my aunt last week who is a teacher and she was telling me how it’s required for her to run a weekly class blog and to update her elementary students via palm pilot, daily on lesson assignments, plans and questions. As well as post resources and detailed notes for parents to assist their children. And even here at state a class I took my freshmen year is completely on line now, lecture right in the comfort of your dorm. I wonder if technology is going to be the death of face to face human interaction in general. And maybe in the next ten years I can teach a class of fifth graders from my living room. And just reminisce on days where I actually got to greet my students face to face.
I also begin to wonder exactly how far we will allow technology to revolutionize our culture until someone pulls the plug. Someone mentioned how kids now using texting in place of general children interaction. And last year I remembered reading in the State News that they were considering eliminating the newspapers to instead publish articles solely online. Then we have the Kendall a book at the touch of a button. I’m all for advances in technology but for exchange of technological advance I think that we’re sacrificing a lot of our precious cultural experiences. Like reading a 500 page novel and watching the progress as you closely reach the end; or even reading the state news over breakfast with the hot fresh smell of its freshly printed presses. All of these things have made reading fun and enjoyable for me and it kind of saddens me to think that future generations might not experience these simple enjoyments of life.
I think the world is changing at a rapid pace due to the shift in technology. It is amazing to me that even the Pope is now blogging. I think of blogging as this newfangled idea and older people wouldn't catch on or get the hang of it. Blogs are a way for people to be heard and discuss what is going on in the world, here we are blogging about the Pope blogging.
Technology, including blogs will continue to change, but at what cost. We discussed in class about books being converted to electronic sources. I think a change and increase in technology is great and wonderful, but there is something about holding a book in our hands. Reading a book or newspaper creates a memory and you can grasp what the author is trying to say while holding the information in your hands. Blogging is a great way to express thoughts and I think it is catching on more and more. I think it is a wonderful tool and can inspire great information and subjects, but I still think that not everything should switch over to electronic based.
I would really like to see the Pope's blog. Is it casual talk or is very religious every time?
Technology is a very powerful tool and sometimes shows progress and sometimes causes harm. Is it progress for picture books' illustration to be created by computers? The other day I saw a computer program where you can mix colors on the computer just as you would with paint, you could draw using graphite, water color, and any type of mediums that I could think of. Is an artist who uses the computer just as good an artist, even if they use computer tools to help them?
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