Media Alert!
July 2024
BLOG #56
Sue Summers
MediaSavvyKids.org
“Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what He wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.” Romans 12:2 (The Message)
Knowledge vs. Wisdom
We are bombarded with a myriad of data every single day. Print and electronic media make information readily available to us, with the Internet being the primary source of messages, postings, facts, reports, stories, news, and memes.
“Scientists have measured the amount of data that enter the brain and found that an average person living today processes as much as 74 GB in information a day (that is as much as watching 16 movies), through TV, computers, cell phones, tablets, billboards, and many other gadgets. Every year it is about 5% more than the previous year.” (“Too Much Information, Too Little Time”, https://kids.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frym.2017.00023)
“Volumes of data are rapidly growing, and a Statista report found the amount of global data is slated to reach 180 zettabytes by 2025. This glut of data is taking a toll, according to OpenText. Of those surveyed in the U.S., 76% felt that information overload contributes to their daily stress. Another 35% percent said this overload is having a detrimental effect on their work performance, with 30% revealing it is affecting their overall job satisfaction.” (www.datanami.com/2022/08/18/report-80-of-global-workers-experience-information-overload)
You may ask, “what is a zettabyte?” “A zettabyte is a unit of measurement used by technology professionals and the general public to describe a computer or other device’s storage capacity. The number of bytes is equal to 2 to the 70th power, also expressed as 1 sextillion bytes. One zettabyte is approximately equal to 1,000 exabytes or 1 billion terabytes.” (www.techtarget.com)
Whew! We are overloaded with information. But is knowing facts, statistics, data, and factoids the same as wisdom? What is wisdom, anyway?
A wonderful book, “The Wisdom Pyramid”, by Brett McCracken, states:
“Goggle offers quick answers to any query we might have. But wisdom is not about getting to answers as fast as possible. It’s more about the journey, the bigger picture, the questions and complications along the way.”
“Wisdom is not knowledge. Nor is it information… To simply accumulate more knowledge is not to be wise. Robots will one day have far more knowledge than the smartest humans (if they don’t already), but robots will never be wiser than humans.”
He continues:
“Wisdom is not merely knowing the right answers. It’s about living rightly. It’s about determining which right answer is best.”
This is certainly an ongoing challenge!
“There are things in life that are clearly right or wrong, but many times we wrestle with disputable matters (Romans 14:1-19). In deciding what to do, we can seek the wisdom found in scripture. Paul encourages the Ephesian believers to ‘Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.’ (Ephesians 5:15)” (“Our Daily Bread”, November 9, 2023)
Scripture reminds us:
“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.” James 3:13, NIV
Jonathan Edwards summed it up: “Of all the knowledge that we can ever obtain, the knowledge of God, and the knowledge of ourselves, are the most important.”
So how can we help teens become media-savvy about the culture that surrounds them?
Our teens are bombarded by lots of information – and misinformation – each day, but this is different than wisdom. They need to gain wisdom so they will be like the men of Issachar who “understood the times and knew what they should do” (1 Chronicles 12:32, NIV). We cannot be with them all the time, so they must learn to be discerning and make decisions based on “the Grid of Truth” – the Bible. Try these discussion starters and suggested activities to cause some deeper thinking.
• Take time to talk about the overload of information that each of us is dealing with each day. Consider ways to reduce the amount.
• Ask how the Internet contributes to this glut of information. Then ask: “How can you determine what is meaningful and accurate?”
• Discuss our dependence on cell phones and whether this is positive or negative in helping us understand the times.
• Share that reading books used to be the main way people gained information. Ask, “What is your favorite book?” and “Why should we continue to read since electronic devices make information instantly available?”
• Consider having a Bible study together once a week to expose teens to the wisdom of God’s Word.
• Share and discuss this scripture:
“See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.” Colossians 2:8, NIV
• Ask, “In what ways might you be taken captive?”
• Ask, “What is the difference between knowledge and wisdom?” Allow sufficient time for a deep discussion, rather than just accepting simplistic answers.
Note: Share this blog with your church’s youth pastor as a lesson for youth group gatherings.
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Sue Summers is a Christian media analyst, teacher, author, and speaker.
She is the Director of Media Alert!
Contact Info:
Blogs: MediaSavvyKids.org
Website: http://www.MediaAlert.org
Email: Sue@MediaAlert.org
#MediaSavvyKids, #ChristianParenting, #ChurchAndCulture, #YouthPastors, #YouthGroupCurriculum, #HelpForChristianParents, #TeensAndCulture, #AChangingCulture, #CriticalThinkingAndTeens, #IAmNotDefinedByTheCulture, #KnowledgeVsWisdom, #DeeperThinking, #InformationOverload, #WhatIsWisdom?
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