The Moral Impact of Digital Devices
Digital technology and social networks have become indispensable for human life today. These tools consume growing proportions of our time, consciousness, and finances. Although life with a screen enhances efficiency, entertainment, and means of connection, it also raises important moral questions a...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
The Journal of Moral Theology, Inc.
2020-06-01
|
| Series: | Journal of Moral Theology |
| Online Access: | https://jmt.scholasticahq.com/article/13336-the-moral-impact-of-digital-devices |
| _version_ | 1797654102933504000 |
|---|---|
| author | Marcus Mescher |
| author_facet | Marcus Mescher |
| author_sort | Marcus Mescher |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Digital technology and social networks have become indispensable for human life today. These tools consume growing proportions of our time, consciousness, and finances. Although life with a screen enhances efficiency, entertainment, and means of connection, it also raises important moral questions about the risks related to privacy and oversharing, information overload and deception, commodification and exploitation, distraction and addiction, isolation and radicalization. This essay explores how digital tools and networks deform human identity, character, agency, relationships, and society by enabling vicious dispositions and habits as well as normalizing sinful actions and systems. After exploring some examples of the moral injury that results from using digital devices and how this affects moral identity, character, agency, and relationships, this essay proposes a more virtuous approach to these technologies. Five virtues—prudence, temperance, fidelity, self-care, and resistance—orient attitudes and actions capable of correcting personal and communal moral formation for life increasingly mediated by screens. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T16:54:30Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9417e90f7cfe4a4e9192b521eba9e611 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2166-2851 2166-2118 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T16:54:30Z |
| publishDate | 2020-06-01 |
| publisher | The Journal of Moral Theology, Inc. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Moral Theology |
| spelling | doaj.art-9417e90f7cfe4a4e9192b521eba9e6112023-10-20T17:34:26ZengThe Journal of Moral Theology, Inc.Journal of Moral Theology2166-28512166-21182020-06-0192The Moral Impact of Digital DevicesMarcus MescherDigital technology and social networks have become indispensable for human life today. These tools consume growing proportions of our time, consciousness, and finances. Although life with a screen enhances efficiency, entertainment, and means of connection, it also raises important moral questions about the risks related to privacy and oversharing, information overload and deception, commodification and exploitation, distraction and addiction, isolation and radicalization. This essay explores how digital tools and networks deform human identity, character, agency, relationships, and society by enabling vicious dispositions and habits as well as normalizing sinful actions and systems. After exploring some examples of the moral injury that results from using digital devices and how this affects moral identity, character, agency, and relationships, this essay proposes a more virtuous approach to these technologies. Five virtues—prudence, temperance, fidelity, self-care, and resistance—orient attitudes and actions capable of correcting personal and communal moral formation for life increasingly mediated by screens.https://jmt.scholasticahq.com/article/13336-the-moral-impact-of-digital-devices |
| spellingShingle | Marcus Mescher The Moral Impact of Digital Devices Journal of Moral Theology |
| title | The Moral Impact of Digital Devices |
| title_full | The Moral Impact of Digital Devices |
| title_fullStr | The Moral Impact of Digital Devices |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Moral Impact of Digital Devices |
| title_short | The Moral Impact of Digital Devices |
| title_sort | moral impact of digital devices |
| url | https://jmt.scholasticahq.com/article/13336-the-moral-impact-of-digital-devices |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT marcusmescher themoralimpactofdigitaldevices AT marcusmescher moralimpactofdigitaldevices |