Is the popularity of Facebook, Twitter and other forms of social media good or bad for sustaining America’s experiment in self-government?
Dr. John Mark Reynolds, Director of the Torrey Honors Institute at Biola University, has written extensively about social media and its cultural influence. He argues that the media we consume is not neutral. It influences us in certain ways, including how we communicate ideas, where we look to solve problems, and how we relate to others. Social media perhaps even shapes how we think about the nature of community and the role of government.
What sorts of cultural habits does democracy require? What kind of community dynamics are most vulnerable to socialist expectations? How does widespread consumption of social media influence these attitudes and appetites?
Dr. Reynolds suggests that the social media craze offers both an important caution and a hope for the kind of community that supports political and economic freedom in America.
More About the Speakers
Dr. John Mark Reynolds
Director, Torrey Honors Institute, Biola University