The Hyperlinked Life: Wisdom in an Age of Information Overload

Did you know there are more smartphones in the world today than toilets? – David Kinnaman – The Barna Group

Yesterday while doing some quick Google research with the search phrase ‘top reasons kids don’t like church” I found a company called “The Barna Group”.  They are in the business of reporting trends in behavior and I see allot of myself in their research.

In the past 6 years I have downloaded 15 books on kindle and 23 on Audible. Sadly to say I am one third to half way through some and have finished a whopping total of 6, mostly on audio books. I really meant to read them.

And I thought it was just me…

Pray Before “Google-ing”

Seems that that is the trend today, information overload and going through my illnesses I learned  to just shut it off. I found so much more depth of knowledge and understanding by seeking God in my own way and then taking action after inspiration. It’s most useful when I Google.

As a example, after I found the Barna Group, I printed something off their website and put it in a file for later reading.

Today while getting ready to delete the mass of emails I get I noticed  and email from FaithGateway “How Should Christians Engage with Technology?” and thought that’s exactly what I seeking yesterday. Of course the email talks about the Barna Group and this “Frames” concept which in my own way I guess I’m doing here building this site out.

Can you imagine how much digging I would have had to do to find this, how many millions of articles are out there with conflicting ideas? How much information I would have to sift though? Or after finding it filing it away for “later reading” and most likely it getting lost?

What I prayed for was to find someone who would give me the facts and not allot of fluff.

The prayer was answered in this way and the  “confirmation”  can come through people, places and sometimes a simple email title.

Brainwashing?

The Holy spirit is so very efficient and the more I come in tune with him, I find where I have been confused or overloaded in the past it has been due to me trying in my power and in my own will to find answers. We need to develop a “secret place” where we talk to God for real no matter what is on our minds. I’ve learned that God is a “big boy” and he can handle me as I am even when I am frustrated or angry. That why I am posting music like I am, it’s because I listen to these song over and over to get their lyrics into my DNA. Same with the word of God, I want it to become the way I think.

Believe me I need a brain washing daily to navigate this crazy world…

As for the barna Group,  these are my go to guys for this information and listening to this will give allot of good advice on how to make decisions in a fast moving world. I bought the complete series.

I just thought I would reprint the email and share it here:

How Should Christians Engage with Technology?   FaithGateway newsletter@e.faithgateway.com    3:09 PM     to me

by David Kinnaman & Jun Young from The Hyperlinked Life 2014

In the past fifteen years a revolution has taken place. You know about it because you’ve lived through it, but you may have missed its profound implications. Everyone’s heard of the digital revolution, but this is so much more. It’s the knowledge revolution.

Here is what this revolution looks like:

Not so long ago, we had to wait for information about our world to come to us. Books and other print items were among the first media that collected and distributed information in a relevant package for humans. Then came radio and television — electronic media that helped satiate human beings’ thirst for more immediate knowledge. But all the media thus far have the disadvantage of being limited to bursts of information packaged for the largest possible audience. In other words, the information we gain via television and radio and newspapers is knowledge for mass consumption.

We still have access to information produced for mass consumption. But the knowledge revolution — with information now available through interconnected digital devices such as smartphones, tablets, and computers — is about personalized knowledge. It’s not simply information for the masses; it’s customized, personalized, on-demand information.

The knowledge revolution is the rise of the hyperlinked life: access to what we want to know when we want to know it.

Living in such a world requires a certain amount of adaptation. We had to adapt to the Industrial Age, and we will adapt to the Information Age. But we have to recognize there are both pitfalls and potential in adapting to this new world — a world in which we are all hyperlinked.

In the new book The Hyperlinked Life, David Kinnaman, president of Barna Group, and Jun Young, founder and CEO of ZUM Communication and former Microsoft employee, explore some of the data and trends that are producing this new iWorld. More importantly, they look at what it means for God’s people to thrive and bear witness to something greater than ourselves and the plethora of information at hand.

The Hyperlinked Life is part of an innovative series of short books called FRAMES. In the excerpt below, you’ll get a taste of what David and Jun call a theology of information – their suggestion on how, as Christians, we can live well in this hyperlinked life.

Watch the video and see author David Kinnaman as he introduces and explains the vision and purpose of the FRAMES Series. (Content starts around 10 minutes into the video).

Your Turn

Thirty-five percent of all adults and 49% of all millennials agree to the statement, “My personal electronics sometimes separate me from other people”. Where do you fit in those statistics? Do you see the rapid rise of information as a hinderence or benefit to your relationship with God? Share your thoughts and comments on our blog!

More on the Barna Group on wiki