Editorial March 2, 2020 Issue

Dialing down our digital distractions

Tony Lobl

Bingeing is one of those things that can be experienced at several levels. It can be an occasional overindulgence, such as a one-off all-night gaming or video-streaming session with friends. Or it can be a condition tottering toward addiction, such as gaming or video sessions going on night after night, with or without company.

In between, there’s the kind of bingeing temptation most of us face nowadays, in which smartphones, tablets, and computers—which, used judiciously, can actually save time and aid productivity—are designed and marketed to persuade us to immerse ourselves in reading, listening to, or viewing (far) more than we intend. And when we finally put our devices down, we’re faced with streaming services on our TV that automatically roll one episode into the next.

Faced with such a deluge of attention-getters, it’s worth taking stock, and regularly considering the need to dial back some of our engagement to focus on more important things.

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Bible Lens—March 2–8, 2020