Innovation for the Sake of Mission
- Posted by Steve K. on June 17th, 2008 filed in Uncategorized
A recent study by the Barna Group examined how the Christian community in the U.S. engages with mainstream and emerging technologies. The study found that just one-third of computer users (33%) have used instant messaging in the past week, while 30% of Americans have sent someone a text message via a mobile telephone, and only 23% of computer users has a personal website or profile on social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace. Just 10% of adults have a personal blog where they communicate their ideas and experiences.
Venture capitalist Fred Wilson asks, “What will it take to get more people using online social media?” (my paraphrase)
Joseph Hunkins at WebGuild responds, “The short answer to Fred’s questions is simply that people want what people want, and when they find it online they will hang around. When they find a way to easily socialize with others in their niche they’ll hang around even more.”
When I advocate for the use of new technology in missions, it’s not with an attitude of innovation for the sake of innovation. Instead my heart is simply: innovation for the sake of mission. The question isn’t, “How can we have fun playing with these new tools/toys?” The question is, “How can these new tools be put to use in ‘describing God’s mighty deeds’ around the world?” and “What does that look like? What are the implications of it?”
If you are going to dive into the world of blogs and other social media, it’s also important to heed the advice of Holly Ross who writes, “Your audience may not be ready to have the conversation that social media enables. That’s because social media does not just enable conversations. It enables PUBLIC conversations.”
Fortunately, you can always turn the “comments” feature off on your blog or set other similar limitations on your social networking profiles. There is even technology to protect you from the negatives of technology! (wink, wink)
(HT: Beth Kanter via Justin Long)
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