On Christian Audio I saw this new book available for audio download.

One Review on the website by Kelly Neill says:

Well-researched, well-structured and well-narrated, “The Church of Facebook” examines the Facebook phenomenon from a wealth of perspectives: from the unprecedented way in which it allows us to connect, to the question of its validity in community-building, to the impact that “hyperconnectivity” has on us as individuals and as a culture, to the relational needs it meets and those it cannot replace, to the adaptive behaviors that have arisen as a result of its popularity.

It is a phenomenon… one in which I myself am caught up in. It was just the other day that I was setting up a new computer and realised how personal your laptop can get. It is as though much of our identity can get caught up in what we store on our computers and how we use them. My computer is a place I meet with friends, its a place I enjoy the sweet tunes of musicians, it is the place I do my work, study, banking and payment of bills, it is a place I catch up on the world news, play games, get inspiration and its a place that I can find knowlegde about God. I often joke that my computer is my personal hard drive. It has all of me that won’t fit in me on it – it is sort of an extension of who I am. Sadly there is more truth in my statement than a joke.

I love facebook and social media. Sure I can spin how it enhances ministry and evangelism (honestly it does do this) but I seriously just love technology and media. I am convinced it is a mark of belonging to genY … However I do see the dangers of the way my generation and myself are heading.

I agree with the review that ‘hyperconnectivity’ has a deep negative impact on our lives. It feeds our insatiable lust for more products and relationships, it increases our awareness of what the Jones’ have and so feeds our greedy habits. Perhaps it is that the more you know about people the more power you feel or the more important, connected and loved you feel? But I personally am seeing the harm of too much Facebook and its addictive charm. Perhaps “hyperconnectivity” gives you the opportunity to know everything about anyone, which perhaps gives you the illusion of feeling connected, well-loved, and popular – even though you are just looking voyeuristically into the lives of ‘friends’ who we hardly know.

Its a false sense of security. And we play into it more than we think. We untag ourselves in photos we think we look fat and ugly in; we screen the photos we put up on Facebook; we judge others by the content they share; we accept any friend request to bump up our tally of popularity; we boast and brag about the latest gadgets we have bought, bands we have seen and holidays we have taken. We love to create an image for ourselves. We hunger to be loved, esteemed and important.

Facebook and social media cannot add to your worth or value. It will give you temporary satisfaction maybe help you build relationships but by no means will it last or truely satisfy the hunger for connection and love. God can though. He loves us lots, esteems us greatly and deems us important. We belong to Him as His special possession, His unique treasure.