Positive Values
In what sense are the Internet and social media potentially valuable for wisdom? We know the many downsides to online life. What are the upsides? In my view there are at least three.
1. Access
The Internet has removed barriers to accessing knowledge and education. If the idea of a public library (free access to books) was one small step in the direction of democratizing knowledge, the Internet was a giant leap. Today, if you have Internet access on your phone or computer, you have history’s most potent library card. You have access to all the wise sages of the past from Plato to Proust to Plantinga. On YouTube you can gain the knowledge you would get at a university. An uneducated pastor in rural India who might never be able to attend seminary can, through the Internet, access all man ner of theological resources essays, sermons, book reviews, video lectures to help him better handle Scripture and care for his flock.