They introduced me to a bloke called Wesch, virtually, not literally and I was wow-ed by this You-tube film capturing just what is capable for communication and community with web 2.0 technologies.
The Wordlive guys also referenced the digital Christianity symposium a couple of years ago where Tom Wright said that anything that is not embodied community is an impoverished community. This didn't prove too popular a sentiment with those living out their Christian faith resourced through the Cathedral in Second Life. That God made himself incarnate in his Son and entered into the messiness of life with us, the gospel has its deep resonance. But as with many things, we have to live with a both/and. We have to think about the ways that virtual community can point to embodied community and pave a way for it but we have to be present in the virtual world with a Christian presence and witness. I do not worry too much about the lack of authority there, as with anything there is a need for discernment, sifting the bad seed from the good. With the development of the printing press, many extreme points of view were published but credibility operated in the same way. Just like we can put down a book or change channel, we can give up internet sites that are not edifying. A natural editing process will develop. We will also continue to develop techno-ethics.
Enjoy the film below:
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