What has been is what will be,
and what has been done is what will be done,
and there is nothing new under the sun.
Ecclesiastes 1:9
A big surprise.
- Do you ever switch on the TV to be met with an ever increasing array of things that you could watch but wonder if any of them are actually worth it ?
- Are you struck by how fast life changes and the appetite people and family around you have an ever increasing appetite for something new, regardless of cost in time and money ?
Over recent days I've picked up on numerous conversations observing how the most recent additions to streaming media services and content providers were far outstripping older classics and historic content. The numbers of downloads for recent additions incomparably outstrip the older regardless of quality.
We live in an age where the first thing to pop up on Netflix, prime, sky etc is ...
"What's new?".
Even the old beacon of stability and longevity the BBC is at it, with their top scroller on Iplayer being "new and trending". Is our priority always to know what is new, to have our finger on the pulse, be informed, current, in the loop, keeping tabs, on trend? Are there other priorities ?
Trashy reality shows seem to be the prominent new flavour in most places. Would they be making such rubbish at great expense if people didn't have a real appetite for reality TV ? (Which is so far from my reality than I struggle to comprehend it). Seeing the front-page of Iplayer you would think the Beeb's heritage was in "love Island" rather than the corporation that brought us "antiques road show" or "gardeners world" and the timeless classic "one man and his dog".
A monster has been created whereby viewers and listings need a constant update stream of new content, The appetite needs feeding. Downloads refresh, throw it out as quick as you can, and the more current hype and buzzword the better. There may be multiple Oscar winning films available on our streamers, but their class and superiority is discarded for what is current. You have to search hard for a needle in a haystack. This is a peculiar beast. Why would you watch something inferior, simply because it is made more prominent by its recency, advertised at great expense to cover up its trashiness, or so easy (mind-numbing) to watch that it reaches the pinnacle accolade of "perfect for bingewatching"? The algorithm says we all need to be renewed and updated.
It shouldn't be a surprise
In many ways this scenario shouldn't come as a shock. Our TikTok, insta, downloading, trending on x culture is more interested in the immediate and now, than what will be relevant for a long time. This has been the developing and growing culture for 20 years with the growth of the internet, handhelds and Mr Jobs saying we need to communicate through screens not real conversations or even text.
"Trending" is presented as a positive notion regardless of why it is trending. Many things that trend on X are actually not trending for positive reasons at all,. Criticisms, abuse, a fail, a cancelling, a sacking of a football manager, a bad hair day or wardrobe decision seem to be arresting attention, but it is difficult to find the positives or anything helpful from it as a Christian, other than an increasing burden to share Christ.
CULTURE IS INSATIABLY UP FOR THE HERE AND NOW.
Eat, drink, be merry and watch telly,
For our god is our belly and our telly.
The TV dinner has been around for many years, but the age we live in has relaxed routine to a nebulous indiscipline on a different scale of being able to do what you want when you want to whatever event you want. We live in an era when whatever is newer is always assumed to outrank the competition. In information overload the historic and is consigned to the dark recesses of forgottenness, regardless of why it may have stood the test of much time. This explains the somewhat odd ranking of news items on our 24/7 coverage and constant news updates. I wonder how news broadcasts would be assembled / reordered differently if a longer shelf life view was taken. If we took a two month view for example, how many stories wouldn't make it because they are only current for less than a day?
IMPORTANT NEWS COMING IN :
Not all news is of equal importance and significance.
Would the persistent, famine, killing, suffering war in Gaza or increased drones and missiles in Ukraine not take a higher place or priority than the fact that Taylor has got engaged ? What would news broadcasts look like if formed entirely of issues which are having a more significant/ lasting effect on more people on the planet?
We need to see how this culture impacts church, those who want to grow in holiness, those who want to grow in serving others not themselves, those who want to sacrifice their lives in service of the one who is altogether worth it. These next two blogs are a starter for 10.
- How does this impact our spiritual lives ?
- How does this impact our corporate spiritual lives in church and mission ?
(Maybe you don't remember university challenge... that was a proper show where people used brains and fashion was forgotten).
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