The average screen time for people living in India was 6.2 hours in the recent year, according to DataReportal. Indians were the most likely, among global participants, to spend most of their screen time (44% of it) on social media. On average, Indians spend at least 25% of their day looking at a screen, at minimum. We devote a significant chunk of our daily lives to the virtual world.
It is important to understand the digital world is not going anywhere. That ship has sailed. Artificial Intelligence (AI), Augmented Reality (AR), and Virtual Reality (VR) are fast becoming part of everyday life. Self-driving cars, space travel, and even trans-humanism are subjects of conversation in India. A decade ago, what was merely a fantastical episode of Star Trek is now real life.
The job market will demand the next generation of professionals and students to be comfortable with these tools to survive the expectations of life at work. For Christians to live meaningfully, we need to learn how to engage with these technologies through the lens of the gospel. One important thing to know is when to disengage from it.
Recovering Our Imagination
My First Media Fast
The first time I did a media fast, I committed to 30 days without television, movies, streaming, and social media. At first, I thought it would be excruciating. I tried to be strategic and make sure no must-see movies were coming out that month. As I got closer to the day of starting, I became increasingly agitated. I would keep having intrusive thoughts like, “It’s okay if you don’t do it. You haven’t told anyone else you’re doing it. And would God really care? A media fast isn’t a real fast anyway.”
On Day 1, I kept myself busy most of the day. It was full of being with people anyway. By the time I got home, I was too tired. But as I lay in bed, I instinctively reached out for my phone to scroll through Instagram. Immediately, I remembered I was supposed to start a fast. So I put my phone down and picked up a book I meant to read instead.
Our TV programming is literally programming us.
Over the next few days, I kept opening the Instagram and Netflix apps throughout the day. Each time, I remembered I was on a media fast. Finally, I just deleted all the apps. I remember the act of deleting the apps felt empowering. It felt like I had control over what I consumed, not the other way around.
The Destructive Effects of Media Overconsumption
In the next few weeks, I felt so rejuvenated. I started spending time with people I cared about. I read a bunch of books I wanted to read. But most importantly, my mind felt decluttered. My imagination felt renewed. I felt like I was experiencing the beauty of Jesus in a new and incredible way.
It makes sense.
As Jonathan Rothwell notes in an editorial for the New York Times, “A wave of new social science research shows that the quality of shows can influence us in important ways, shaping our thinking and political preferences, even affecting our cognitive ability.”
Rothwell points out that media channels and services that focus almost exclusively on entertainment and advertisements, with little to no focus on education, actually lead to a decrease in IQ over a period of time.
None of this is surprising. Media is teaching us how to think and how to imagine. Our TV programming is literally programming us.
The Immediate Effects of a Media Fast
When you read a book, you have to mentally construct the world in your own mind. It forces you (in a good way) to engage with the book—to make your own audio-visual constructions. Your brain is being trained to create. But when you are watching a show or a movie, you do not need to do so much. You just sit back and take in the visuals that someone else has made for you.
Fasting helps us recognise that the things we depend on are gifts from a great and benevolent God.
Fasting from media allowed me to do the work of imagining again. I was able to reset my mind and refocus on what matters. Then I noticed, I was less distracted in conversations. I was able to focus for a longer time on a task. My mind felt less cluttered and restless in prayer. And most importantly, I rediscovered a renewed love for the Word of God, for prayer, and for being in the presence of Jesus.
A New Kind of Fasting
The Outcome of Fasting
The point of fasting is simply to remember that we are dependent creatures. Fasting helps us recognise that the things we depend on are gifts from a great and benevolent God. It helps us “see through” the things of this world and to see the God who made it all.
Over the course of our lives, we should learn to fast from different things in different ways. For instance, at certain times, we should fast from food. It helps us remember we do not live on bread alone (Matt. 4:4). It helps us receive more satisfaction in God than from the richest of foods (Ps. 63:5).
In times of fasting, we see who we really are and what we really long for. We are invited to observe our cravings and repent of how we might prioritise created things over our relationship with our Creator.
The Obstacles to Fasting
In our media fasting, we are no longer distracted by the content of the world around us. The ripples on the surface of our soul begin to settle and we can see what is really beneath the surface. God can renew our imaginations, rejuvenate our spirits, and release a fresh dose of new vitality and energy into our lives.
When we think of a media fast, we may be afraid that we will get bored. That is understandable. I empathise with that. If you have never done a media fast, you cannot imagine what else we will do with that time. We are so afraid we will end up feeling bored, restless, or irritated that we shut down the idea before we give it a chance. But the reason we may be feeling restless and irritated is because we watch too much right now.
More than likely, a media fast will help you feel physically, emotionally, and relationally renewed. It will help you return to healthy rhythms of consuming media appropriately.
The Joy of Feasting in Jesus
Practically, it might help to start with one day a week. Personally, I needed a “go big or go home” challenge. So I started with thirty days. You can start with whatever works for you in your season of life. As long as you fast with a genuine and humble heart, God is more than able to meet you where you are. Then your soul will be satisfied in Jesus, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col. 2:3).
