18. The Lie of Anonymity

Today we're going to talk about the lie of anonymity. It's one of the most painful lies we believe in Drool Tech today. We are invited to believe we can be whoever we want, say whatever we like, do whatever we feel, and see only what we desire. We can be whoever we want because there's no tether to reality. We can say whatever we like because there is nothing too inane or profane to shout on the internet. We can do whatever we feel because our desire to do it is what makes it right (and it'll never be tracked back to us anyway, so no one gets hurt, right?) We see only what we desire because entire corporations focus on making sure that's the case. Customized algorithms for information, friends, streams, feeds, and results is a trillion dollar business. But if they fall short you can always train the system by blocking the outliers.Understanding this well matters.Let’s root this in scripture and then I’ll share some of my own experience with accountability software and give some recommendations.Why do we (and especially our children) need accountability:.There are no secrets. (Luke 12:3).God never leaves us nor forsakes us. (Hebrews 13:5).In fact, He remains faithful even when we are faithless. (2 Timothy 2:12-13)Anonymity is the enemy of love. You can't fully love someone you don't fully know. God both fully knows us, and loves us anyway (Romans 5:8).Let's fight to be known, and reflect that even in our tech use.