The Tech-Wise Family (Andy Crouch)

Technology isn't bad, but it needs to be put in its proper place, argues Andy Crouch in The Tech-Wise Family.  From Internet to TV to smartphones, technology has made life "easy-everywhere."  But is it better?

Crouch's basic argument is that our obsession with technology is eroding many of the things we hold dear.  It's not that tech is bad . . . it's that we give it an unhealthy place in our lives.  He lays out "Ten Tech-wise Commitments" to correct course:

1. We develop wisdom and courage as a family.  [We need to be present for that, and technology often isolates and separates.]
2. We want to create more than we consume.  So we fill the center of our home with things that reward skill and active engagement.  [Technology's ease can rob us of true skill development, stunting our growth and making us passive, unproductive consumers.]
3. We are designed for a rhythm of work and rest.  So one hour a day, one day a week, and one week a year, we turn off our devices and worship, feast, play, and rest together.  [We need to structure our time well and intentionally.  We need true rest- not passive, consumptive leisure that tech so easily provides.]
4. We wake up before our devices do, and they "go to bed" before we do.
5. We aim for "no screens before double digits" [age 10] at school and at home.  [Teaching kids to explore and find wonder in the world before giving them access to the "easy everywhere" of technology.]
6. We use screens for a purpose, and we them together, rather than using them aimlessly and alone.
7. Car time is conversation time.
8. Spouses have one another's passwords, and parents have total access to children's devices.
9. We learn to sing together, rather than letting recorded and amplified music take over our lives and worship.
10. We show up in person for the big events of life.  We learn how to be human by fully present at our moments of greatest vulnerability.  We hope to die in one another's arms.

There are some good points here.  My favorites are 2, 3, 5, and 6.  I've seen in my own (and family's) life how technology can take over.  We diminish our interactions, become passive consumers, and deny ourselves the full life we were created to live.  

Overall, the book is a good read.  Complementing the writing is plenty of research (presented in charts and graphs) showing the strangle-hold technology has on our culture.  It's a quick read and worth your time.  On the downside, it's longer than it needs to be, and some points (especially 7-10) seem more tangential than the first six.  But check it out.  

Rating: A