I like to think I'm at least rounding the techie curve, but Instagram has me at a loss.

I get on Facebook and Pinterest and half a dozen of my friends have loaded pics via Instagram's app. At first I thought it was just a quirky way to make photos look old... like the Polaroid instant pics in my childhood photo albums.

Klearchos Guide to the Galaxy

Um, yeah, okay. And why do I want to regress to Polaroid Instamatic quality photos when I can digitally manipulate my pictures in seconds with Gimp or any other free photo editors online? Heck, a few years back I merged pictures so we had ONE family Christmas photo where child #4 wasn't making a goofy face. Oldest son is still angry with me for "fixing" his teeth, and youngest thinks it's weird I did a cut-and-paste job on his head to create a picture I could live with. Deal with it, kid.


I loaded the Instagram app on my iPhone months ago, I just haven't figured out why using it is preferable to using the regular camera app for recording my day to day photos. Not that I'm a big picture-taker anyway, but I'm beginning to think Instagram is a photo app for the beautiful people... People who aren't compelled to digitally whiten teeth, blur wrinkles, and erase the dog taking a dump from their family barbecue photos (you know who you are).

So, for all you Instagram fans, what am I missing?

The speed at which information comes our way is increasing daily. New terminology, buzz words, and catch phrases crop up faster than dandelions in springtime. Having to ask someone what these words mean can be humiliating, especially if the only person who knows is (a) at least a full generation younger than you, and/or (b) your child, student, or someone who still needs a babysitter.  



So in an effort to keep up, from time to time I'll post one of these newfangled words and its meaning, that we might all be better educated, able to interpret what we read, and less likely to embarrass ourselves through misinterpretation.




You may have seen this word in reference to a YouTube video that "goes viral" or a new trend in business or entertainment. The word itself is taken from the ancient Greek word mimeme, meaning something imitated or copied.

photo by richardmasoner	via PhotoRee

Do you recall those weird-smelling copies of worksheets and tests and business correspondence printed in purplish ink? Those copies were made on mimeograph machines, or mimeos, for short. Today we're using the other half of that Greek word to say approximately the same thing.
 

photo by robzand	via PhotoRee

Officially, a meme is defined as an idea, behavior, or style that spreads rapidly from person to person throughout a culture. Sounds like a virus, or some other contagious disease, right? Yep. It's where we apply the term "going viral" to videos on YouTube and hashtags on Twitter. (A hashtag is a number symbol - # - followed by a word, or tag, that identifies a tweet as part of a topic, or category.)

Remember the girl who came to school one day with a bandanna tied around her thigh for no apparent reason? And the next day two more kids sported thigh-tied bandannas? Or the guy who sported a safety pin earring one Monday, and by Friday afternoon a half-dozen other kids had safety pins in their ears, too? If you can think of an example like that, you've probably witnessed the birth of a meme. 

photo by bloomingdalelibrary	via PhotoRee

Memes aren't exclusive to the Internet, either. The prevalence of vampire/werewolf-themed fiction on bookstore shelves is a literary meme gone mad. Reality television shows are another meme. Come on, how many programs about men surviving in the wild by eating fish goo and drinking their own urine do we REALLY need on TV?   

Know Your Meme is a website dedicated to tracking current Internet memes. It's a good place to find a laugh or two, most days. It's also a way to stay somewhat current. No one wants to be the friend who posts the "dancing baby" video on Facebook and comments,

Molasses in winter.

photo by technicool	via PhotoRee

Watching paint dry.
The church accepting change.

#1 and #2 are classic cliches. In my opinion, #3 should be.

A friend sent me a link to the following article, in which a professor of theology alleges that social networks like Facebook and the like are to blame for a decline in church attendance and participation. (to read the whole article, click here)

Seriously? We're pointing our holier-than-thou fingers at Facebook and Twitter now?

photo by Daniel Y. Go	via PhotoRee

I also came across the following link this week: "If Jesus Were on Facebook," and shared my opinions about "Would Jesus Tweet?"  almost two years ago.

Personally, I think Jesus would use (is using) every available method and means to share His message of love, mercy, grace, and forgiveness with the world. Technology doesn't frighten Him ... We haven't even progressed to the point of understanding the technology Daniel, Ezekiel, and John prophesied about!

We, as believers, SHOULD be on the cutting edge of technology, art, creativity, design, etc., because the creative God lives in us! In prior centuries, the greatest works of music and art and literature were created by Christians, an expression of the Spirit of God dwelling within them. Nowadays in the body of Christ, creative expression is either questioned, blamed, or curtailed by rules and guidelines and limitations.

It's time for those who love God, who endeavor to follow the example of the Christ, to reclaim the creative arts for the gospel ... including technology and social networking. Instead of dragging our feet into each new activity, perhaps it's time for the church to welcome new methods and ways of connecting humanity and sharing the truth.

Just a thought.