TikTok and the Noonday Devil
The many dangers of smartphones and screen time for kids have been long articulated by now, but most have missed what this distraction is doing to their souls.
Gen Z Has Been Groomed for Radicalization
From screen addiction and social media echo chambers to pornography and nihilistic spiraling: the faceless internet is radicalizing and destroying young people and it’s time to take it seriously.
I took a break from 𝕏. Here’s what happened.
It was only after removing myself from social media for a period did I realize how dramatically it affected (and controlled) my life.
Same Enemy, Same Tactics, Nothing Ever Happens
Scripture and the Saints, rather than social media, should guide the Christian response to both real and perceived crisis: “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life.” (Luke 12.25)
The Worst Sins in the World
Social media is the best tool in human history for unearthing everyone else’s sins.
Caught by Contagion
You are the company you keep. And here, the more agreeable you are, the more susceptible you are to the infection.
This One Trick Will Transform Your Social Media Experience
Most of us underestimate the impact constant interaction with nasty accounts on social media can have on us—mentally, physically, emotionally, and especially spiritually.
Ghosts in the Republic: Truth, Shadows, and the Death of Integrity
In the brave new world of online discourse, objective truth will not be tolerated by the ghostly “anons” who exist in the shadows of tribal “truth.”
Peace of Soul and the Conclave
The 24-hour news cycle was initiated by CNN’s move to a “continuous coverage” format. Social media has added fuel to that sensationalist fire and it is destroying our peace.
What’s Behind the Post-Election Liberal Meltdown?
Normal political dissent does not take the form of people bellowing like gored oxen on TikTok before an anonymous world as they shave their heads.
The Last Temptation of the Lay Apologist
Lay apologists today, because of the media environment and other circumstances in society, face temptations that their predecessors did not; primary among them is the clickbait temptation.
How Social Media May Lead to Lower Birth Rates
Social media use is associated with online pornography addiction—a well-documented factor in the destabilization of marriage and family.
Mommy Wars
Never in my life have I seen name calling, insults thrown, and nasty judgments made the way I have in online mommy groups.
A Time for Renaissance Men
We need to go beyond simply deleting apps from our smartphones. We need to go further as to ensure that our hands are not becoming precariously idle. We need to become Renaissance men.
Dating in a Modern Waste Land
Facebook has just launched a new feature to “connect” us: a dating app. It was inevitable, given Facebook’s apparent desire to become a digital one-stop shop for its almost three billion users. This latest feature has drawn immediate criticism over data manipulation and hacking risks. Not only does the app play matchmaker, but users can … Read more
Carlos Maza Could Use Man Lessons from Steven Crowder
Carlos Maza is a nasty little man who goes by the nom-de-tweet Gaywonk. A gay guy with pronounced gay-voice, he has been stalking and trolling conservatives for many years. He stalked me a few years ago when he was a “reporter” for the hard-left Media Matters. He came after me on Twitter, harassing me, calling … Read more
Social Media Makes Us Miserable
And I have known the eyes already, known them all— The eyes that fix you in a formulated phrase, And when I am formulated, sprawling on a pin, When I am pinned and wriggling on the wall, Then how should I begin To spit out all the butt-ends of my days and ways? And how … Read more
In Memoriam: Letter Writing
On a Sunday evening in the mid-1990s, some friends and I had gathered for coffee after Mass at the Newman Center and the conversation turned to what was then the latest technological advance into our daily lives: e-mail. Alone among my peers, I did not welcome e-mail. I believed it signaled the death of a … Read more
Internet Censorship By Controlling Elites Will Not End Well
Like any complex functional system, human society involves distinctions, hierarchies, and lasting connections. The Internet, and electronic media generally, disrupt all that. They make everything equally present to everything else, and put all things on the same footing. Relationships become fluid, and sounds and images can be chopped up and reassembled, so that anything can … Read more
