Barna Group - The Hyperlinked Life: Live with Wisdom in an Age of Information Overload

ZONDERVAN

The Hyperlinked Life

Copyright 2013 by Barna Group

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ISBN 978-0-310-43320-0 (softcover)

EPub Edition DECEMBER, 2013: ISBN 978-0-310-43342-2

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Cover design and interior graphics: Amy Duty

Interior design: Kate Mulvaney

Printed in the United States of America

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CONTENTS

BY BARNA GROUP

BY JUN YOUNG AND DAVID KINNAMAN

BY BRANDON SCHULZ

These days, you probably find yourself with less time than ever.

Everything seems like its moving at a faster pace except your ability to keep up.

Somehow, you are weighed down with more obligations than you have ever had before.

Life feels more complicated. More complex.

If youre like most people, you probably have lots of questions about how to live a life that matters. You feel as though you have more to learn than can possibly be learned. But with smaller chunks of time and more sources of information than ever before, where can you turn for real insight and livable wisdom?

Barna Group has produced this series to examine the complicated issues of life and to help you live more meaningfully. We call it FRAMES like a good set of eyeglasses that help you see the world more clearly... or a work of art perfectly hung that invites you to look more closely... or a buildings skeleton, the part that is most essential to its structure.

The FRAMES Season 1 collection provides thoughtful and concise, data-driven and visually appealing insights for anyone who wants a more faith-driven and fulfilling life. In each FRAME we couple new cultural analysis from our team at Barna with an essay from leading voices in the field, providing information and ideas for you to digest in a more easily consumed number of words.

After all, its a fast-paced world, full of words and images vying for your attention. Most of us have a number of half-read or read someday books on our shelves. But each FRAME aims to give you the essential information and real-life application behind one of todays most crucial trends in less than one-quarter the length of most books. These are big ideas in small books designed so you truly can read less but know more. And the infographics and ideas in this FRAME are intended for share-ability. So read it, then find someone to frame with these ideas and keep the conversation going (see Share This Frame on ).

Furthermore, each FRAME brings a distinctly Christian point of view to todays trends. In times of uncertainty, people look for guides. And we believe the Christian community is trying to make sense of the dramatic social changes happening around us.

Over the past thirty years, Barna Group has built a reputation as a trusted analyst of religion and culture. We offer cultural discernment for the Christian community by thoughtful analysts who care enough to tell the truth about whats really happening in todays society.

So sit back, but not for long. With FRAMES we invite you to read less and know more.

DAVID KINNAMAN

FRAMES, executive producer

president / Barna Group

ROXANNE STONE

FRAMES, general editor

vice president / Barna Group

Learn more at www.barnaframes.com.

Take a guess how much time do you think you spend looking at a screen?

How many times, on average, would you say you check your phone in a given day?

Do you ever feel overwhelmed with how much information comes at you? Do you ever find all that information actually gets in the way of making a decision?

What is the first word that comes to your mind to describe how you feel when you leave your phone behind for any length of time?

Where do you get most of your news and information?

How often (if ever) do you intentionally take a break from your digital devices?

What three words would you use to describe life today?

And why wouldnt you? Part news anchor, part game console, part friendship network, and all convenience, that sleek gadget is basically an extra appendage. No wonder nearly one out of three adults say they love their cell phone. Of course, love is a strong word and its not far from turning an object into an idol. So while the cell phone brings the world to your fingertips, its worth remembering the created thing is still just a thing.

When a text or message comes in, Iusually stop what Im doing to check it

LOL all you want, but whats that text distracting you from in real life? Driving? Good conversation? An important conference call? The cookies burning in the oven? BRB, OK?

I think my personal electronics sometimesseparate me from other people

Our gadgets have added a lot to the worldan ability to be present in the moment probably isnt one of them. So go ahead, put the phone in your pocket and try some old-fashioned eye contact.

In the past fifteen years a revolution has taken place. You know about it because youve lived through it, but you may have missed its profound implications. Everyones heard of the digital revolution, but this is so much more. Its the knowledge revolution.

Here is what this revolution looks like:

Not so long ago, we had to wait for information about our world to come to us. Books and other print items were among the first media that collected and distributed information in a relevant package for humans. Then came radio and television electronic media that helped satiate human beings thirst for more immediate knowledge. But all the media thus far have the disadvantage of being limited to bursts of information packaged for the largest possible audience. In other words, the information we gain via television and radio and newspapers is knowledge for mass consumption.