With screens, less is more

Last week I talked about the dilemma we have faced with using social media and this week I wanted to explore our stance in regards to screens.

Obviously, I’m not entirely against screens, as you are reading this on a screen at this very moment. Screens have become part of our everyday life and it’s difficult now to think of ever unplugging.

Yet, there are many downsides to screens that should make us pause for a second and consider the consequences.

There have been an increasing number of studies that have shown how our brain processes information differently when we consume media on a screen, versus books or paper. 

For example, in the article The Paper Advantage: Why Reading Print Is Better for Your Brain, Eric Kube relates the following:

In one study, Horowitz-Kraus recruited 19 children ages 8 to 12 to undergo an MRI scan to assess connectivity in brain regions involved in language processing and cognition.

She found that children who spend more time reading books have greater connections between brain regions involved in language processing and cognitive control. In contrast, the children who spent more time using screen-based media demonstrated fewer connections between these same regions.

While this statistic is primarily aimed at children, it also applies to adults and how we retain more information if we read it on a physical piece of paper rather than on a screen. Makai Allbert does an excellent job explaining all the science behind it on this YouTube video.

This is one of the reasons why we prefer to sell physical comic books rather than digital ones. We want to encourage children and adults to have a more tactile experience and to become more immersed into a story in an analog way.

At the same time, I’ll be honest again and say that some of the stories that have formed me the most over the years were consumed first on a television screen. The power of the cinema is undeniable and it remains an impactful way to communicate a beautiful story.

Screens have great power and with great power, “comes great responsibility.” We need to be intentional about how we use screens and to use them in ways that don’t harm us, but lift us up towards God.

My own thought is that we shouldn’t be on screens for 12 hours a day and that we should embrace the real-world head on. This doesn’t mean that we need to throw all of our screens away, but that we should be conscious about it and not let them overtake us. It’s a challenge to moderate our use, but it’s worth it in the end.

Voyage will always try to be in that middle ground, using screens when necessary, but always inviting others to unplug, read a physical book and get outside.

Which brings up a few of our hopes and dreams for the future which I’ll discuss in Voices of Voyage #8!