There is a problem with our culture today.
We are too online. In recent years, we’ve seen how this has contributed to a significant breakdown in our community connections, leading to social, emotional, and political strife.
Social psychologist and author Jonathan Haidt coined the generation born after 1995 as “the anxious generation”, stemming from their overconnectivity with the digital world. And the data doesn’t lie. The rate of anxiety prevalence among 18-25 years olds has astronomically increased over the past decade, from 7.97% in 2007 to 19.9% in 2022. As the digital age launched us into new frontiers of learning and discovery, we unfortunately accrued new baggage along the way.
Additionally, our ever-changing media landscape has shaped the current state of our politics, both in the U.S. and abroad. A “megaphone” has been given to bad actors online, igniting a rise in extremism. In the past, those on the political fringes—both right and left—who may have been kept in check by the reasonable majority, have now found a safe haven to sow division.
Finally, political engagement has shifted from local to national. With the 24-hour news cycle, our collective focus has shifted from our hometowns to the nonstop chaos of Washington. As a result, we are less involved in our communities and more likely to get swept up in the emotion of issues outside of our control. This is not to say there aren’t valid national and geopolitical threats worth our time and attention. American Values Coalition exists precisely because of our concern about this current political and cultural moment. However, when we focus too intensely on the national stage, we disadvantage ourselves to actually tackling the tangible problems that are within our stewarding power. Ironically, this makes us more vulnerable to real threats.
In their wisdom, the Founders were fiercely against overly concentrated power. They knew its corrupting force, and created boundaries to keep it in check. In our social media age, federalism has taken a backseat to keyboard warrior activism on the national level, which, although not without cause, is not the only effective way to bring about change.
It is important, especially in this moment, to give ourselves permission to step away from the screens and shift our focus back to our family, friends, and communities. In the words of former Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill, “All politics is local.” So, take some time this weekend to log off and touch some grass. Your country will be better off as a result.
Join the Next AVC Book Club!
The next AVC Book Club will be Mondays at 8pm from April 7 to May 19. Register here.
Pastors: Sign up for our next J29 Workshop
What Else We’re Reading
The Bulwark: “The Faces of Trump’s Anti-Immigrant Crusade”
The Trump Administration is distributing videos of immigrants in chains:
The Guardian: “I’m the Canadian who was detained by Ice for two weeks. It felt like I had been kidnapped”
This Canadian actress was detained by ICE for two weeks. She tells her story:
The Atlantic: “They’re Cheering for Trump in Moscow—Again”
“Russia, among other autocratic states, is surely thrilled by the president’s decision to close Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Martí, and Radio Free Asia.”
New York Times: “Musk Said No One Has Died Yet from Aid Was Cut. That Isn’t True"
“As the world’s richest men slash American aid for the world’s poorest children, they insist that all is well. ‘No one has died as a result of a brief pause to do a sanity check on foreign aid funding,’ Elon Musk said. ‘No one.’”
USA Today: “He voted for Trump. Now his wife sits in an ICE detention center.”
He voted for Trump. Now his wife sits in an ICE detention center.
The Verge: “Newsmax will pay $40 million to settle Smartmatic voting machine allegations”
Newsmax agrees to pay $40 million to settle claims that it defamed the voting machine company Smartmatic.