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Genesis 11:1-9

The Tower of Babel

I’m a member of the micro-generation born between 1977 and 1983. We’re sandwiched between Generation X and the Millennials, so we’re called Xennials…though the occasional “geriatric Millennials” will float around. (Nope. Don’t like that!) 

There are lots of interesting things about my microgeneration, but most fascinating is how technology has affected our lives. We had an analog childhood and a digital young adulthood. We use social media but remember living without it. The internet wasn’t a part of our childhoods, but we remember the thrill of getting to use a computer when they were first brought into our schools.

I signed into my first email account toward the end of high school, and Facebook became a “thing” as I was finishing up college. Wi-Fi didn’t exist yet, and I only had dial-up internet at home. It took forever to load, but what fun being able to talk to friends I hadn’t seen or heard from since elementary school! Fast forward ten years. Smartphones became commonplace, and Wi-Fi increased our connectivity. Social media evolved from catching up with old friends to keeping up with the Joneses on Facebook and Instagram, and having a smartphone meant everyone else’s business was in our hands (and minds) all day long. 

The people in Genesis 11 weren’t that far removed from the flood, but it had been long enough for Noah’s family to begin to do what God had commanded them: go forth and multiply. The people found a sweet spot to land and decided to settle there, and they used superior building materials to do so. The brick and tar method of building was waterproof and altogether more secure–ahem, permanent–than the stones they used previously. There’s nothing wrong with the advancement of technology. In fact, three cheers for the lowly brick, which has proven to be mighty useful! So where did it start to go south? Perhaps when the people lost sight of the original task. In lieu of going forth and multiplying they decided to make permanent dwellings for themselves in a permanent city, complete with a mighty tower to reach the heavens.  

Today’s social media is still used to connect, but it’s also become divisive. The technology that revolutionized the way we’re linked has now become a thing that’s driven a wedge between us. How did this happen, and when was it taken too far? Perhaps somewhere around the time smartphones became widely available. We can all agree that GPS and weather reports are true blessings, as is having the means to call for help if your car breaks down on the side of the road.  However, these blessings have come with the curse of a constant stream of information both good and bad.

What’s a Xennial–or any generation–to do? Perhaps tracing our relationship with technology back to the original goal is a good start: genuine connection without allowing constant information to suffocate us. I wouldn’t advise waiting until God decides to crash all the satellites that control our Internet connections! :)

Take a minute and think about your relationship with technology. Is it a healthy one with solid boundaries? Has it been a source of stress in your relationships? What’s one way you can improve it today?