Was the Film Wall-E Prophetic?
According to Neilsen media, the average adult consumes 11 hours of media every day. I’ve often wondered if it is possible for people to reach a media saturation threshold.
Is there a point when all your waking hours are inundated with screens? And yet you recognize there is still something missing in your life but there’s no time to find out what it is.
WAS WALL-E PROPHETIC?
The animated film WALL-E anticipates a future where people are continuously fixed on a screen, and some are gradually awakening to the need for real relational contact.
Was that prophetic? Maybe not. Was it insightful? Definitely.
One of the more memorable scenes in the movie is when two men are conversing via video conferencing while floating along in their transport chairs right next to each other unaware of each other’s proximity.
Soon after, the robot named WALL-E accidentally causes a man to fall out of his chair. His overweight body and atrophied muscles leave the man floundering on the ground, helpless.
WALL-E offers him a helping hand and kindly introduces himself. The “personal” contact startles the man yet he is intrigued as something begins to awaken inside.
It’s a shame when a robot is more personal than the persons.
A MEDIA SATURATION THRESHOLD?
How close have we come to a similar social dynamic today? Screen time is continuing to increase in our daily lives.
Is there a media saturation threshold?
Does there come a point in someone’s life where a longing for something better, something real, something personal, something eternal begins to break through the never-ending digital stimuli?
I truly believe that many youths and adults are finding themselves pixeled out and more aware of a need for personal change. Yet they feel trapped and helpless and are not sure how to find freedom.
They are awakening to the need but unsure of the path ahead. Most importantly they are beginning to see a possible correlation between their distracted lives and their distance from Christ and other important relationships.
AN EMPTY SOUL?
Are you finding that your plate is full at the end of the all-you-can-eat media buffet, but your soul is increasingly more empty? Have you found yourself wandering in the digital wilderness and wondering if there’s something more to life?
Are you concerned about those around you who are struggling to break free? Are you empathetic towards those who are numb and unaware that they are exchanging a truly satisfying life for a dissatisfying virtual existence offered conveniently through today’s entertainments?
