Elder Bednar gave a fantastic CES Fireside last month about using technology. Unfortunately we missed the original broadcast, but listened to the mp3 on our recent drive to Colorado. We were amazed at his powerful and direct language and his choice of topic. An excerpt:

Today I raise an apostolic voice of warning about the potentially stifling, suffocating, suppressing, and constraining impact of some kinds of cyberspace interactions and experiences upon our souls. The concerns I raise are not new; they apply equally to other types of media, such as television, movies, and music. But in a cyber world, these challenges are more pervasive and intense. I plead with you to beware of the sense-dulling and spiritually destructive influence of cyberspace technologies that are used to produce high fidelity and that promote degrading and evil purposes.

You might think he is talking about pornography, but in fact he spoke about other negative influences of technology. He shared stories of several individuals who were completely consumed in their cyber world, such as online gaming or Second Life. I was amazed at how strongly he warned against the dangers of allowing technology to rule your life, while carefully commending the strengths and blessings that appropriate technology can bring.

Brothers and sisters, please understand. I am not suggesting all technology is inherently bad; it is not. Nor am I saying we should not use its many capabilities in appropriate ways to learn, to communicate, to lift and brighten lives, and to build and strengthen the Church; of course we should. But I am raising a warning voice that we should not squander and damage authentic relationships by obsessing over contrived ones. “Nearly 40% of men and 53% of women who play online games said their virtual friends were equal to or better than their real-life friends, according to a survey of 30,000 gamers conducted by … a recent Ph.D. graduate from Stanford University. More than a quarter of gamers [who responded indicated that] the emotional highlight of the past week occurred in a computer world.”

He also touched on illegally copying music or videos as well as taking unnecessary physical risks for the thrill of an adrenalin rush. It is simply amazing to me how well he touched on these things that are such a challenge for our generation and are often easily overlooked.

It’s worth the time to internalize this talk. You can read it here, or better, watch or listen to it here.