Healthy Tools: How Our Tech Can Work for Us (Felicia Wu Song) Ep. #265

How is technology shaping the way we live, relate to one another, and understand what it means to be human? In this episode, Dru Johnson talks with sociologist Dr. Felicia Song about digital technology, AI, social media, Christian discipleship, and the spiritual consequences of living in a world of constant connection. Song argues that Christians should resist both technological hype and fearmongering and instead develop a more thoughtful, historically informed approach to digital culture. Rather than simply asking whether technology is “good” or “bad,” she encourages us to consider what our devices are actually doing to our relationships, habits, attention, and embodied experience. The conversation explores social media and mental health, AI companionship, the potential displacement of human relationships, and the ways technology is reshaping churches and Christian communities. Song also challenges Christians to reconsider whether Sunday worship should be one of the few places where people can put their devices away and genuinely rest. Drawing on the Christian contemplative tradition of silence and stillness, Song suggests that spiritual maturity in the digital age may require learning how to disconnect, be present, and recover forms of human connection that technology cannot replace. See more of Dr. Song's work here: https://feliciawusong.com/ Contact us at The Biblical Mind: Click Here We are listener supported. Give to the cause here: https://thebiblicalmind.org/give/ For more articles: https://thebiblicalmind.org/ Social Links: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HebraicThought Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hebraicthought Threads: https://www.threads.net/hebraicthought X: https://www.twitter.com/HebraicThought Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hebraicthought.org Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to the discussion on technology and human experience 04:00 The importance of historical perspective in understanding tech 06:16 The investment in human evolution and technological possibilities 07:52 Technology as a variable in human relationships and self-understanding 10:08 The neurological and phenomenological effects of digital interaction 12:22 The impact of mediated interactions on human experience 14:22 The social and cultural variability in felt experiences 16:40 Imagination and the inability to conceive of a tech-free life 18:24 Using movies and stories to understand different digital experiences 20:44 Young people's resignation and the influence of tech industry narratives 22:18 Historical changes in societal attitudes towards technology 24:20 The analogy of safety belts and cultural change 27:29 Advocacy and community action in digital ethics 28:56 Analog experiences and community building through low-tech practices 30:27 The value of silence and stillness in spiritual maturity 36:32 The societal effects of AI companionship and therapeutic uses 38:02 The role of churches and spiritual spaces in digital life 40:12 Church as a space for digital detox and spiritual rest 43:20 The importance of stillness and silence in Christian practice 45:59 The transformative power of contemplative practices in a digital age See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.