Are You Addicted to the Internet?

Can the Church exist online without ever meeting? Can our activities online become a kind of addiction? How do we balance our online activities with the real world?

After attending the Christian Web Conference this past week, I [Marcus] am not sure how to answer that question. The conference itself was fantastic. Seriously. The sessions were great, especially on the second day (when I spoke, har har). But more than that it was fun to hang out with high calling bloggers like Rich Kirkpatrick, Karl Edwards, and Mark D. Roberts. So many relationships that rely on internet and email felt fully realized because we were sitting across the table from each other, eating together, or having coffee.

Can the Church exist online without ever meeting?

But there were some folks talking about Internet church in a way that surprised me. While I was gleeful about finally, finally meeting some of these people in person, a few people were arguing that the internet means we should never need to meet in person. That was a long sentence, so let me say it again. Some Christians argue that we could have complete relationships with people we have only met online. I'm still scratching my head about that trying to consider the implications.

Can our activities online become a kind of addiction?

Then I get back into the office and slowly work my way through the massive backlog of email. One message catches my eye from Keith Mirrer, the director of communications for Foundations for Laity Renewal (which supports HighCallingBlogs.com). Keith sent me a link to this new study out of Gordon College called Pulling Off the Mask: The Impact of Social Networking Activities on Evangelical Christian College Students . The study just came out on September 10, and it is well worth your time to click through and read the summary with my highlights.

How do we balance our online activities with the real world?

Believe it or not, I just recorded a video for Tina Howard addressing this exact question. While I was in LA presenting at the Christian Web Conference, she was presenting at a writer's conference in Texas. She knows her stuff, let me tell you. To add some new levels of boredom to her talk, she asked me to record this little video for her. I talk about balancing the way we use technology, managing our personal brand in the real world and online, and when it might be time to take a sabbatical from technology. I even embedded some snarky comments, but you might need to click through to YouTube to see them on the main page for the video Balancing Your Online Presence with Your Real World Self.