"The Truth about Media and Technology" presented by Dr. Jim Coyle at Franciscan University of Steubenville on March 25, 2012. Part of a series of "Veritas" talks sponsored by the University's Student Life department. This version doesn't include videos that were part of the live presentation. ("About" is correctly spelled on the actual presentation title slide.) References: The Influencing Machine: Brooke Gladstone On the Media Blog Post: A Survival Guide for Beating Information Addiction – Leo Ababtua Infinite Bandwidth: Encountering Christ in the Media – Eugene Gan

1. VERITAS:
THE TRUTH ABOUT
MEDIA AND
TECHNOLOGY
DR. JIM COYLE
MARCH 25, 2012

2. PRAYER TO THE
ARCHANGEL GABRIEL
You Angel of humanity, you trusting messenger
of God, open our ears also for the quiet
warnings and calls of the most loving Heart of
Jesus! Always be in front of our eyes, we beg
you, that we understand the Word of God
correctly, that we follow, obey and fulfill that
which God wants of us! And assist us in staying
awake for when the Lord comes to get us so
that He does not find us asleep! Amen.

3. MY MEDIA INVOLVEMENT

4. TONIGHT’S TOPICS
TRUTH(S) ABOUT TRADITIONAL/
MAINSTREAM MEDIA
TRUTH(S) ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA
TRUTH(S) ABOUT THE CHURCH AND MEDIA

5. PEOPLE’S ATTITUDES TOWARD
MEDIA & TECHNOLOGY
ANYTHING THAT’S IN THE WORLD WHEN
YOU’RE BORN IS NORMAL AND ORDINARY
AND IS JUST A NATURAL PART OF THE WAY
THE WORLD WORKS
ANYTHING THAT’S INVENTED BETWEEN
WHEN YOU’RE 15 AND 35 IS NEW AND
EXCITING AND REVOLUTIONARY
ANYTHING INVENTED AFTER YOU’RE 35 IS
AGAINST THE NATURAL ORDER OF THINGS
- DOUGLAS ADAMS

6. CHURCH’S ATTITUDE TOWARD
MEDIA & TECHNOLOGY
MEDIA TECHNOLOGIES ARE “GIFTS FROM GOD.”
“MOTHER CHURCH, TO BE SURE, RECOGNIZES
THAT IF THESE INSTRUMENTS ARE RIGHTLY
USED THEY BRING SOLID NOURISHMENT TO
THE HUMAN RACE.”
“COMMUNICATORS BREATHE LIFE INTO THE
DIALOGUE THAT HAPPENS WITHIN THE FAMILY
OF MAN. IT IS THEY WHO PRESIDE WHILE THE
EXCHANGE PROCEEDS AROUND THE VAST
‘ROUND TABLE’ THAT THE MEDIA HAVE MADE.”

7. MEDIA CONTROLS US?

8. MEDIA FUNCTIONS
SURVEILLANCE
CORRELATION
CULTURAL TRANSMISSION
ENTERTAINMENT

9. MEDIA EFFECTS
PRIMING
AGENDA-SETTING (GATEKEEPING)
FRAMING
CULTIVATION
ADOPTION OF NEW IDEAS

10. MEDIA BIAS

11. TYPES OF MEDIA BIAS
POLITICAL ACCESS
COMMERCIAL VISUAL
BAD NEWS NARRATIVE
STATUS QUO FAIRNESS

12. WE MUST ACTIVELY EVALUATE
THE MEDIA WE USE
APPROACH AND USE MEDIA WITH BALANCE
BE AWARE OF ATTITUDES BEHIND THE MEDIA
MEDIA SHOULD RESPECT THE DIGNITY OF THE
HUMAN PERSON
MEDIA SHOULD BE TRUTH-FILLED
MEDIA SHOULD INSPIRE PEOPLE TOWARD THE
GOOD, THE TRUE
MEDIA SHOULD BE SKILLFULLY DEVELOPED
MEDIA SHOULD BE MOTIVATED BY & ROOTED IN
HUMAN EXPERIENCE

13. “BAPTISM” - DR. EUGENE GAN
BALANCE
ATTITUDE
PERSON
TRUTH
INSPIRES
SKILLFULLY-DEVELOPED
MOTIVATED BY AND RELEVANT TO
EXPERIENCE

14. SOCIAL MEDIA

15. SOCIAL MEDIA CONCERNS
ECHO CHAMBER EFFECT
REDUCED FACE-TO-FACE INTERACTION, RELATIONSHIPS
PERSONAL & PROFESSIONAL CONCERNS
PRIVACY & CONFIDENTIALITY
PERSONAL SAFETY
REPUTATION - “FACEBOOK SCORE”
PROSPECTIVE EMPLOYER ACCESS
INFORMATION ADDICTION

16. INFORMATION ADDICTION
SIGNS:
CHECK EMAIL, FACEBOOK, OR OTHER SOCIAL NETWORK 1ST
THING IN MORNING & LAST THING AT NIGHT
CONSTANTLY ON MOBILE DEVICE WHEN AWAY FROM HOME/
OFFICE
CAN’T GET AWAY FROM COMPUTER TO GO OUTSIDE, EXERCISE,
OR SPEND TIME WITH PEOPLE
CONSTANTLY POSTING TO FACEBOOK OR TWITTER OR
INSTAGRAM, OR TEXTING/EMAILING, WHEN MEETING WITH
OTHER PEOPLE
CAN’T GET IMPORTANT WORK DONE BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO
CHECK YOUR MESSAGES
FEEL ANXIOUS IF COMPLETELY DISCONNECTED FOR MORE THAN
A FEW MINUTES
CAN’T IMAGINE SPENDING AN ENTIRE DAY DISCONNECTED

17. OVERCOMING I.A.
1ST STEPS:
ASSESS YOUR HABITS - KEEP A LOG
INTRODUCE THE PAUSE
START TO BREAK THE CHAIN OF TRIGGER-HABIT AUTO-
RESPONSE BY PUTTING A SMALL PAUSE IN BETWEEN THEM
ASK “DO I REALLY WANT TO DO THIS, AND WHY?”
WHETHER OR NOT YOU DO THE TASK, THE IMPORTANT
THING IS TO HAVE AT LEAST THE BRIEFEST PAUSE
TAKE A 10-MINUTE BREAK EVERY HOUR
SET AN HOURLY REMINDER ON YOUR COMPUTER/DEVICE
TAKE A WALK. STRETCH. WRITE IN A NOTEBOOK. SKETCH.
DRINK SOME WATER & HAVE SOME FRUIT. WHATEVER.
WHEN YOU GET BACK TO COMPUTER/DEVICE, TRY CLOSING
BROWSER FOR A FEW MINUTES AND DOING SOME NON-
INTERNET WORK BEFORE GOING BACK ONLINE

18. OVERCOMING I.A.
CHANGING HABITS:
START WITH YOUR BIGGEST TRIGGER
PICK A REPLACEMENT HABIT
DO THE NEW HABIT AFTER TRIGGER - EVERY TIME
USE POSITIVE PUBLIC PRESSURE

19. A BALANCED LIFE
THE GOAL IS TO NOT BE CONTROLLED BY
YOUR INFORMATION SOURCES
SCHEDULE TIME FOR NON-INTERNET AND
NON-MEDIA ACTIVITIES
WORK WITHOUT DISTRACTIONS -
LEARN TO FOCUS
SCHEDULE A LIMITED TIME FOR YOUR
INFORMATION SOURCES
CHOOSE YOUR SOURCES WISELY
GET SOME SLEEP

20. SOCIAL MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES
CONSUME
CREATE
SHARE

21. CHURCH AND MEDIA

22. CHURCH AND MEDIA
“INSTRUMENTS OF SOCIAL
COMMUNICATION” - VATICAN II, 1964
PRINT, FILM, RADIO, TELEVISION +
THEATRE
“MODERN AREOPAGUS” - JOHN PAUL II
POPES’ WORLD COMMUNICATIONS DAY
MESSAGES - PAUL VI, JOHN PAUL II,
BENEDICT XVI

23. COMMUNICATIONS DAY
MESSAGES - BENEDICT XVI
THE MEDIA: A NETWORK FOR
COMMUNICATION, COMMUNION AND
COOPERATION - 2006
CHILDREN AND THE MEDIA: A CHALLENGE
FOR EDUCATION - 2007
THE MEDIA: AT THE CROSSROADS BETWEEN
SELF-PROMOTION AND SERVICE.
SEARCHING FOR THE TRUTH IN ORDER TO
SHARE IT WITH OTHERS - 2008

24. COMMUNICATIONS DAY
MESSAGES - BENEDICT XVI
NEW TECHNOLOGIES, NEW RELATIONSHIPS.
PROMOTING A CULTURE OF RESPECT,
DIALOGUE AND FRIENDSHIP - 2009
THE PRIEST AND PASTORAL MINISTRY IN A
DIGITAL WORLD: NEW MEDIA AT THE
SERVICE OF THE WORD - 2010
TRUTH, PROCLAMATION AND AUTHENTICITY
OF LIFE IN THE DIGITAL AGE - 2011

25. COMMUNICATIONS DAY
MESSAGES - BENEDICT XVI
SILENCE AND WORD: PATH OF
EVANGELIZATION - 2012

26. A STILL PLACE IN THE MARKET
"Be still and acknowledge that I am God" (Psalm 46:10). These are
words to take with us in our busy lives. We may think about stillness
in contrast to our noisy world. But perhaps we can go further and
keep an inner stillness even while we carry on business, teach, work
in construction, make music, or organise meetings.
It is important to keep a still place in the "marketplace." This still place
is where God can dwell and speak to us. It also is the place from where
we can speak in a healing way to all the people we meet in our busy
days. Without that still space we start spinning. We become driven
people, running all over the place without much direction. But with that
stillness God can be our gentle guide in everything we think, say, or do.
- Henri Nouwen, 1997

27. RECAP
TRUTH(S) ABOUT TRADITIONAL/
MAINSTREAM MEDIA
TRUTH(S) ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA
TRUTH(S) ABOUT THE CHURCH AND MEDIA

28. MEDIA REALITY TODAY
WE CONSUME
WE CREATE
WE SHARE

29. AT THE END OF THE DAY,
MEDIA IS ABOUT
STORYTELLING

30. A PRAYER FOR THE MEDIA
BY THE SOCIETY OF ST. PAUL
Father, in a world deafened by a cacaphony of sounds, may
all be able to hear your whispering voice. We ask this first of
all for ourselves, men and women dedicated to the Sacred
Scriptures and the teaching of the Church, who must
communicate your truth, Father, in a world that would prefer
to hear lies.
Secondly, we ask this for all who work in media, the press,
radio, television, theatre and the internet. May they cherish
truth more strongly than their own prejudices and personal
agendas. May they present truth in a way that will enlighten
hearts rather then inflame passions and conflict.
We ask this Father, in the name of your Son, our Divine
Master, the Way, the Truth and the Life, who lives and reigns
gently with you, and the Holy Spirit, one loving God, forever
and ever. Amen.