Wednesday, 23 March 2011 11:14

Every art transmutes reality to one extent or another—but if the point of the transmutation is not to go deeper into reality, than what the artist creates is simply a funhouse reflecting the triviality of his own mind rather than things themselves. How sad that Canvas is being backed by several prominent investors and venture capital firms, including Ron Conway, a Silicon Valley investor who was one of the earliest backers of Google. How sadder still that when the 15-year-old Poole created 4chan, he ran it from the secrecy of his bedroom with his parents totally oblivious as to what he was up to.

Ours is a culture created by the minds of 15-year-olds run amuck.

Wednesday, 18 August 2010 11:15

To begin here are two divergent points of view: Carr asks, “Does the Internet Make Us Dumber?”, while Clay Shirky opposes, “Does the Internet Make Us Smarter?”

Wednesday, 16 June 2010 16:57

Amidst the bits and bytes that pulse through the veins of our modern societies, a new phenomena continues to grow that has tremendous impact for the Church -- the use of media by missionaries, global access to these media missions, and the immediacy and affordability of their production.

The democratization of media and its tools, such phenomena are increasingly being utilized by a new generation of Catholic missionaries. Young and energetic these priests, brothers, sisters, and lay, push the bounds of what it means to be a missionary. At the core is Christ and the caritas that flows to all his children. But now along with books, breviaries, rosaries and supplies, the mission kit also contains a cell phone, an HD camera, and a notebook computer capable of publishing and producing top class documentaries.

It is a new era of witness and a new era of "the exchange of persons" -- they very definition of media. It is a time to reach isolated communities and traverse new landscapes.

Friday, 11 June 2010 16:48

Almost a decade ago, Pope John Paul II gave a prophetic address for the 36th World Communications Day, Sunday, May 12, 2002  entitled, "Internet: A New Forum for Proclaiming the Gospel". He said,

" The Internet causes billions of images to appear on millions of computer monitors around the planet. From this galaxy of sight and sound will the face of Christ emerge and the voice of Christ be heard? For it is only when his face is seen and his voice heard that the world will know the glad tidings of our redemption. " This is the purpose of evangelization. And this is what will make the Internet a genuinely human space, for if there is no room for Christ, there is no room for man. Therefore ... I dare to summon the whole Church bravely to cross this new threshold, to put out into the deep of the Net, so that now as in the past the great engagement of the Gospel and culture may show to the world 'the glory of God on the face of Christ' (2 Corinthians 4:6). May the Lord bless all those who work for this aim."

Steve Knight revists Pope John Paul's message in The Theology of Twitter: Three Challenges for the Church Engaging Social Media.