On Jan. 15, Pope Francis held a private audience in the Vatican with Eric Schmidt, chairman of Google’s parent company, Alphabet, Inc. A week later, the pope met with Apple CEO Tim Cook — closed doors, of course. These meetings are raising eyebrows all over the world, forcing the question: “What is the pope up to?”
This is not the first time the pope has displayed an appreciation for technology. The pope referred to the Internet as “a gift from God” and frequently tweets from his account, @Pontifex. He recognizes technology’s presence in our society and in our daily lives. In “Laudato Si,” his encyclical letter on climate change, the pope said: “It has become countercultural to choose a lifestyle whose goals are even partly independent of technology.”
However, the pontiff advises against the dangers of technology. In a speech made to 50,000 German alter servers, he said: “The products of technological progress — which should simplify and improve the quality of life — distract attention away from what is really important.”
Technology and social media aid us, advance us and consume us. Its growing prominence is undisputed. As college students, we depend on computers and phones for daily functions. In our culture, not having some form of social media is generally unheard of. I rarely make it through an entire reading assignment without checking Snapchat and Instagram a few times. Even the pope uses Google Hangouts and Twitter to communicate.
Technology is not the problem; it is how we treat it. Scrolling through Pope Francis’s Twitter, I find quotes on mercy, charity and spirituality. This does not mean that we all have to come up with insightful words of wisdom for every post. It means we need to think about how the use of social media affects our personal relationships. Do we determine who our friends are based on who comments on our pictures? Do we judge our worth by the amount of followers we have? Do we feel insecure when we look at others’ social media pages?
In his writing the pope said: “When media and the digital world become omnipresent, their influence can stop people from learning how to live wisely, to think deeply and to love generously.”
The pontiff’s message is not to abandon technology altogether, but to use it in a way that allows us to grow in knowledge and awareness. For the most part, I see technology and social media as beneficial; even essential for a college student. Nevertheless, we forget that technology is a privilege — one that needs care and responsibility. With its prevalence in the United States, it is easy to forget that technology is unavailable in many parts of the world. Perhaps this came up in the pope’s meetings.
If we truly want to be connected with the world, we need to experience it without distraction. Although some Instagram filter experts might disagree with me, some of my best memories are those that I don’t have a picture of.
There are moments that require our full presence and attention. Being connected means being in solidarity with others, it means being invested in what is going on in the world and it means understanding when it’s time to get away from the screen and discover the world in its purest form.