So I’m sitting here trying to master becoming a multi-platform social media user.  I’ll eventually figure it out.  I am reminded though of something I learned in a “contemporary” communications class years ago:  the depth of our message is inversely related to the distance it travels.  The further I send it, the thinner it gets.

The thickest message is called “ritual”- it doesn’t travel much further than the room where it happens.  Rituals are heard, seen, touched, and even smelled.  Like we say, “You had to be there.”

I don’t remember the name for the thinnest messages.  But think of the ancient telegraph or the modern tweet.  Only a few characters allowed to get the point across.  You can tweet the remotest corner of the world in a matter of minutes.

I’m not saying one is good and one is bad.  Each have their place.  I do worry though in our digital times that “thin is in”, and we mistake reach for depth.  Perhaps the screen creates a false sense of intimacy, and less community than we hope. There’s still a need to be with people in ways that are low tech and high touch.  Maybe a church is a good place to find it.