No matter what you think of the information they convey, professionals who have the highest education levels—who dare to present information which differs from preferred narratives—are being systematically "disappeared" by the major internet platforms. Some of their names may come to mind today, but a week from now, you probably won’t remember them. And, no, I’m not referring to the situation in a distant totalitarian state; I’m referring to Main street America. You know, here, in the land of the free and the home of the brave.
George Orwell wrote 1984, a short story portraying a dark, information-controlled future. Winston Smith works in the information ministry. Information is sent to his workstation. His job is to rewrite history in conformance with the new version of events. He cross-references records to make sure all pertinent records are updated so that everything matches. Then the old version of history is thrown down the “memory hole,” destroyed.
He lives in Oceania, a nation engaged in continuous war with other nations. Citizens are spied on in their own homes by the government. Surveillance is everywhere. Proles are people who are socially aware enough to be a problem and must be controlled by the thought police. Replace big brother with GoogleAppleYoutubeFacebook, add purple hair, and you’re there.
The question for us is how to relate to this and what to do about it?
We are commanded and blessed to be not of this world (John 17:14). We are to refuse friendship with the world (James 4:4). And yet we live in this world; our children grow up in this world. Rare is the home where a child receives more Christian instruction in her home than secular instruction.
How are you able not to bow down to the idol (Daniel three) if your awareness of what idolatry is is so very dim that you might not even recognize the phenomenon? How can you know it is an idol when the values of Babylon are the frame within which you live your life?
Don’t be too sure that there is even one news network from whence you will receive unfiltered information. There is no single media source of unbiased information at present and little to expect anything in the future. We have the Bible (which we rarely read or study) and the writings of Ellen White (which we rarely read or study), and a small number of Adventist websites, one or two person operations, mostly prepared in people’s corner time. Other than that, the mind-food we receive spews relentlessly out the GoogleAppleYouTubeFacebook pipe and lodges gelatinously in our brains.
Chowtime.
The question I have is, do we recognize this description of the situation as roughly correct, and if so, is there a pathway toward some kind of useful adaptation to it?
I wonder if an intelligent, concise, practical discussion could be generated on Fulcrum7, which could produce actionable help? I’m not looking for a list of preferred sites (please, no!). But what means can we use to navigate the narratives, access and sort disapproved information, and not become narrow little Winston Smiths?
I’ll be watching the comments.
Larry Kirkpatrick has been a Seventh-day Adventist minister since 1994. He also operates the website GreatControversy.org and serves as host the “The Final Movements” webcast. He presently serves Muskegon and Fremont churches in the Michigan Conference.