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Viral: How Social Networking Is Poised to Ignite Revival
The gospel is nothing without relationship. And no one gets it like the Google Generation.
God came to earth to invite us, personally, into a relationship. And while Christians at times downplay relationships, the social-media generation is completely sold on the idea. In Viral, Leonard Sweet says Christians need to learn about connecting with others from the experts—those who can’t seem to stop texting, IM-ing, tweeting, and updating their Facebook statuses. What would happen, he asks, if Christians devoted less attention to strategies and statistics and paid more attention to pursuing relationships?
The current generation is driven by a God-given desire to know others and to be known by others. Most of them, in seeking to connect in meaningful ways, have found a place of belonging that is outside the organized church. Why not bring the two together?
Those who are sold out to relationships can teach Christians how to be better friends to people who need God. At the same time, members of the social-media generation can learn how to follow their desire for belonging, straight into the arms of God. It’s time for relationship to be restored to the heart of the gospel. And when that happens, can revival be far behind?
End-of-Chapter Interactives Included
God came to earth to invite us, personally, into a relationship. And while Christians at times downplay relationships, the social-media generation is completely sold on the idea. In Viral, Leonard Sweet says Christians need to learn about connecting with others from the experts—those who can’t seem to stop texting, IM-ing, tweeting, and updating their Facebook statuses. What would happen, he asks, if Christians devoted less attention to strategies and statistics and paid more attention to pursuing relationships?
The current generation is driven by a God-given desire to know others and to be known by others. Most of them, in seeking to connect in meaningful ways, have found a place of belonging that is outside the organized church. Why not bring the two together?
Those who are sold out to relationships can teach Christians how to be better friends to people who need God. At the same time, members of the social-media generation can learn how to follow their desire for belonging, straight into the arms of God. It’s time for relationship to be restored to the heart of the gospel. And when that happens, can revival be far behind?
End-of-Chapter Interactives Included
240 pages, Unknown Binding
First published March 13, 2012
15 people are currently reading
122 people want to read
About the author
Leonard Sweet
157 books139 followersLeonard I. Sweet is an author, preacher, scholar, and ordained United Methodist clergyman currently serving as the E. Stanley Jones Professor of Evangelism at Drew Theological School, in Madison, New Jersey; and a Visiting Distinguished Professor at George Fox University in Portland, Oregon.
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May 13, 2025
THOUGHTS ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA AND CHRISTIANITY
Leonard Sweet is an ordained Methodist minister, and is Professor Emeritus at Drew Theological School. He has also taught at various other institutions.
He wrote in the Introduction of this 2012 book, “The tribe that feels most at home in the 21st century Digital Age is what we will call the Googlers---the digitized, globalized group that spends much of its life getting to know one another in a virtual world. The tribe that immediately precedes the Googlers we will refer to as the Gutenbergers---those who arrived from the 20th century bringing with them influences and assumptions launched long before, in the 15th century.” (Pg. 3)
He continues, “This book is a tale of two tribes: Gutenbergers and Googlers. I will tell a bit about each tribe, both the pros and cons, and will trace some tracks of how they intersect in our world. Each tribe has its promises, perils, potentials, and problems. Each tribe has some baggage we could lose and some we should hold on to. Clearly the future belongs to the Googlers, but not for long. The world of Google and its contemporary technologies will have its day, and then another culture will be born. But for the next two decades, the primary missional challenge of the church will be to incarnate the gospel in a Google world.” (Pg. 10)
In the first chapter, he explains, “To Gutenbergers… TGIF culture is an off thing that has happened in the world. Meanwhile, TGIF Culture is invisible to Googlers. They operate within it without thinking about it. Googlers couldn’t imagine living any other way. So what is this new culture? As we use it here… TGIF is the Googler Culture that is built on Twitter, Google, iPhone, and Facebook---the most visible and relied-upon tools of relationship and life.” (Pg. 15)
He observes, “Here is the problem with much of the ‘spirituality’ that is making the rounds. Too much of today’s pop Christianity sounds like bad Buddhism or pseudo Islam. Christianity is not a vague, amorphous, ethereal religion; nor is it a prescribed set of ritual practices, whether they be liturgical or litigious, religious or political. You can try to get rid of flesh and blood and make Christianity into a religion of excarnation, but you will fail. Christianity is and always has been a religion of incarnation. It puts on flesh and blood. As a living and breathing faith, it is inescapably material, physical, and cultural.” (Pg. 28)
He asks, “For the One who taught us to be ‘in’ the world but not ‘of’ the world, the question is not, would Jesus tweet? … but what would Jesus tweet? The Twitter question of ‘What are you doing?' Has been replaced in my mind with ‘What is God doing?’ and ‘Where do I see Jesus?’ and ‘What am I paying attention to?’” (Pg. 65)
He continues, “Jesus was always tweeting the gospel in pithy, memorable phrases, and even expressed his gospel in The Great Tweet: ‘Love one another as I have loved you.’ His followers would be well advised to … retweet everything he said… What’s more, Jesus desires not only to be ‘liked’ but to be retweeted. Jesus dealt in clarifying truth and was the Master of truth simplified, de-codified, de-legalized, commonized, intensified. Retweeting is the 21st century equivalent of the parables of yeast and the mustard seed. Retweeting Jesus is spreading the virus of the gospel.” (Pg. 68)
He explains, “Jesus’s rich images and metaphors are communicated in words, of course, and Gutenbergers learned how to parse and exegete his words. But such a tight focus on the mechanics of language can blind you to the bigger picture. In the Googler world, the primary cultural currency is image and metaphor. Biologically as well as socially, metaphors are primary and primal. When you dream, you aren’t reading a script; you are watching the movie… The natural language of the brain is metaphor, which explains why creative children register more dream activity than noncreative ones.” (Pg. 108)
He states, ‘Technology has so embedded itself in our lives that it is no longer considered a separate, but a part of everything. With that as our reality, we need to be poets more than ever before. Poetry is the art form least influenced by technology, because it is a technology of its own. It is the technology of the sacred. As long as poetry is healthy, ‘technicians of the sacred’ can shape content and beat back the arrogance and overreach of technology.” (Pg. 122)
He suggests, “Resurrection, from a biblical perspective, is not about the raising up of individuals, but the resurrection of the community. Of course, that entails the resurrection of its individual members who have been incorporated into the body of Christ. Biblical identity is bound up with the community. Yahweh’s was with the people, not just with individuals. The promise of resurrection is to the body of Christ, which is the church, not just to individuals.” (Pg. 143)
He acknowledges, “For much of my Gutenberger life, I have been engaged in the antisocial activity known as reading. There are few pursuits that are more isolating. In a Googler world, being isolated is not a sought-after state of being. Instead, the best way to get ahead in life is through relationships and sociability. Of course, humans have always been social beings. But we are now learning how to be hyper-social beings: connected to (almost) everyone else instantaneously, globally, 24/7. With the near-omnipresence of social media, our social universe has changed. Most of the world is connected and thankful for it. It’s time for Gutenbergers to get over their conviction that relationships are real only when they are face-to-face in the physical world. Online relationships may be a different kind of real, but they can be as veritable and valuable in their own way as off-screen, on-site relationships. It is time for a relationship recalibration.” (Pg. 166)
He summarizes, “A TGIF revival is not a revival of an institution or a tradition, but a revival of the body of Christ as it reconstitutes itself and breathes vitality into an already present organism. The question of the day, then, is whether the church can survive this new viral mutation---this infectious, fast-spreading, life-giving vitality of Christ. The TGIF revolution will be a spiritual revival of Christ’s body within the world. It will be a new strain that resists evil, heals its wounds, and sustains in the face of a changing cultural paradigm. God’s capital-'C' Church will endure and prosper. Christ is alive and moving in all generations and cultures, whether or not our immune systems can handle a new breakthrough. Which leaves us with a question for every individual member, whether person or community: Will you be part of it?” (Pg. 190-191)
Leonard Sweet’s books will be of keen interest to Christians seeking a ‘postmodern’ approach to the faith.
Leonard Sweet is an ordained Methodist minister, and is Professor Emeritus at Drew Theological School. He has also taught at various other institutions.
He wrote in the Introduction of this 2012 book, “The tribe that feels most at home in the 21st century Digital Age is what we will call the Googlers---the digitized, globalized group that spends much of its life getting to know one another in a virtual world. The tribe that immediately precedes the Googlers we will refer to as the Gutenbergers---those who arrived from the 20th century bringing with them influences and assumptions launched long before, in the 15th century.” (Pg. 3)
He continues, “This book is a tale of two tribes: Gutenbergers and Googlers. I will tell a bit about each tribe, both the pros and cons, and will trace some tracks of how they intersect in our world. Each tribe has its promises, perils, potentials, and problems. Each tribe has some baggage we could lose and some we should hold on to. Clearly the future belongs to the Googlers, but not for long. The world of Google and its contemporary technologies will have its day, and then another culture will be born. But for the next two decades, the primary missional challenge of the church will be to incarnate the gospel in a Google world.” (Pg. 10)
In the first chapter, he explains, “To Gutenbergers… TGIF culture is an off thing that has happened in the world. Meanwhile, TGIF Culture is invisible to Googlers. They operate within it without thinking about it. Googlers couldn’t imagine living any other way. So what is this new culture? As we use it here… TGIF is the Googler Culture that is built on Twitter, Google, iPhone, and Facebook---the most visible and relied-upon tools of relationship and life.” (Pg. 15)
He observes, “Here is the problem with much of the ‘spirituality’ that is making the rounds. Too much of today’s pop Christianity sounds like bad Buddhism or pseudo Islam. Christianity is not a vague, amorphous, ethereal religion; nor is it a prescribed set of ritual practices, whether they be liturgical or litigious, religious or political. You can try to get rid of flesh and blood and make Christianity into a religion of excarnation, but you will fail. Christianity is and always has been a religion of incarnation. It puts on flesh and blood. As a living and breathing faith, it is inescapably material, physical, and cultural.” (Pg. 28)
He asks, “For the One who taught us to be ‘in’ the world but not ‘of’ the world, the question is not, would Jesus tweet? … but what would Jesus tweet? The Twitter question of ‘What are you doing?' Has been replaced in my mind with ‘What is God doing?’ and ‘Where do I see Jesus?’ and ‘What am I paying attention to?’” (Pg. 65)
He continues, “Jesus was always tweeting the gospel in pithy, memorable phrases, and even expressed his gospel in The Great Tweet: ‘Love one another as I have loved you.’ His followers would be well advised to … retweet everything he said… What’s more, Jesus desires not only to be ‘liked’ but to be retweeted. Jesus dealt in clarifying truth and was the Master of truth simplified, de-codified, de-legalized, commonized, intensified. Retweeting is the 21st century equivalent of the parables of yeast and the mustard seed. Retweeting Jesus is spreading the virus of the gospel.” (Pg. 68)
He explains, “Jesus’s rich images and metaphors are communicated in words, of course, and Gutenbergers learned how to parse and exegete his words. But such a tight focus on the mechanics of language can blind you to the bigger picture. In the Googler world, the primary cultural currency is image and metaphor. Biologically as well as socially, metaphors are primary and primal. When you dream, you aren’t reading a script; you are watching the movie… The natural language of the brain is metaphor, which explains why creative children register more dream activity than noncreative ones.” (Pg. 108)
He states, ‘Technology has so embedded itself in our lives that it is no longer considered a separate, but a part of everything. With that as our reality, we need to be poets more than ever before. Poetry is the art form least influenced by technology, because it is a technology of its own. It is the technology of the sacred. As long as poetry is healthy, ‘technicians of the sacred’ can shape content and beat back the arrogance and overreach of technology.” (Pg. 122)
He suggests, “Resurrection, from a biblical perspective, is not about the raising up of individuals, but the resurrection of the community. Of course, that entails the resurrection of its individual members who have been incorporated into the body of Christ. Biblical identity is bound up with the community. Yahweh’s was with the people, not just with individuals. The promise of resurrection is to the body of Christ, which is the church, not just to individuals.” (Pg. 143)
He acknowledges, “For much of my Gutenberger life, I have been engaged in the antisocial activity known as reading. There are few pursuits that are more isolating. In a Googler world, being isolated is not a sought-after state of being. Instead, the best way to get ahead in life is through relationships and sociability. Of course, humans have always been social beings. But we are now learning how to be hyper-social beings: connected to (almost) everyone else instantaneously, globally, 24/7. With the near-omnipresence of social media, our social universe has changed. Most of the world is connected and thankful for it. It’s time for Gutenbergers to get over their conviction that relationships are real only when they are face-to-face in the physical world. Online relationships may be a different kind of real, but they can be as veritable and valuable in their own way as off-screen, on-site relationships. It is time for a relationship recalibration.” (Pg. 166)
He summarizes, “A TGIF revival is not a revival of an institution or a tradition, but a revival of the body of Christ as it reconstitutes itself and breathes vitality into an already present organism. The question of the day, then, is whether the church can survive this new viral mutation---this infectious, fast-spreading, life-giving vitality of Christ. The TGIF revolution will be a spiritual revival of Christ’s body within the world. It will be a new strain that resists evil, heals its wounds, and sustains in the face of a changing cultural paradigm. God’s capital-'C' Church will endure and prosper. Christ is alive and moving in all generations and cultures, whether or not our immune systems can handle a new breakthrough. Which leaves us with a question for every individual member, whether person or community: Will you be part of it?” (Pg. 190-191)
Leonard Sweet’s books will be of keen interest to Christians seeking a ‘postmodern’ approach to the faith.
July 3, 2012
It might just be me, but sometimes, when I’m reading a book, I feel like reaching through the pages and throttling the author. Or, perhaps something less violent, like shouting my arguments and wrestling in a debate akin to one of the many sports talk shows I frequently watch. Such is how I feel when I read books like Viral.
It may be simply that Sweet comes across as arrogant by insisting to use words that cost significantly more than necessary. Or perhaps it’s less personal. Perhaps my angst is driven by the faulty premise I see over and over, one that is also derived from arrogance, in a sense. It seems the thesis of Viral rests on the foundation of believing that modern society has surpassed all of history’s previous generations in splendor and sophistication. It is the belief that our modern technology has avanced the human race is finally positioned to take its rightful place as sons and daughters of God. In truth, we’ve always been there.
Sweet posits that the current tools of the digital age have unlocked the power to spark a revival among the next generation, dubbed Googlers. Unfortunately, (rather, what was particularly bothersome to me) this belief leads Sweet to villainize Gutenbergers and ignore the faults of Googlers. Though Sweet offers some interesting potentials for Twitter, Facebook, and the like, he fails to fully address motives, intentions, and practicalities.
It’s a rather one-sided glimpse at what the future may hold. And, though it also seems short-sighted, it’s a provocative read, one that spurs on an inner debate dialogue, if you’re into that sort of thing.
- from trudatmusic[dot]com[slash]raw
It may be simply that Sweet comes across as arrogant by insisting to use words that cost significantly more than necessary. Or perhaps it’s less personal. Perhaps my angst is driven by the faulty premise I see over and over, one that is also derived from arrogance, in a sense. It seems the thesis of Viral rests on the foundation of believing that modern society has surpassed all of history’s previous generations in splendor and sophistication. It is the belief that our modern technology has avanced the human race is finally positioned to take its rightful place as sons and daughters of God. In truth, we’ve always been there.
Sweet posits that the current tools of the digital age have unlocked the power to spark a revival among the next generation, dubbed Googlers. Unfortunately, (rather, what was particularly bothersome to me) this belief leads Sweet to villainize Gutenbergers and ignore the faults of Googlers. Though Sweet offers some interesting potentials for Twitter, Facebook, and the like, he fails to fully address motives, intentions, and practicalities.
It’s a rather one-sided glimpse at what the future may hold. And, though it also seems short-sighted, it’s a provocative read, one that spurs on an inner debate dialogue, if you’re into that sort of thing.
- from trudatmusic[dot]com[slash]raw
May 26, 2012
A couple of years ago a co-worker of mine came back from a conference and quoted Len Sweet as saying, "The question is not whether or not Jesus would tweet, the question is how he would tweet." I was curious but remained unconvinced. Technology comes with a whole set of issues and where I have connected most with Christ has been when I have unplugged (rather than from some 140-characters-long-message). Then a year ago, a friend and professor of mine, John G. Stackhouse, Jr. came back from an `Advance' with Len Sweet in the Orcas Islands and decided to jump into the twitterverse . I was already on Twitter, but only making occasional use of it and didn't see the point. So when Len Sweet published a book detailing how social networking is poised to ignite revival, I thought I should read it, so I could maybe understand (and jump on that bandwagon).
Ideologically I generally feel a little out of step with Sweet. He is always waxing eloquent about where we are in culture and how we should speak relevantly in our context. I want to ask how our context can prevent us from experiencing the truth of the gospel and numb us to the Spirit's movement. I feel this most acutely in relationship to technology. I have a blog, I'm on Facebook and Twitter and happy to amass friends and followers at each venue (and yes, I blog as a Christian), but I also wonder how technology is numbing my ability to know God intimately, to be in silence and solitude, and to make meaningful connections where I live.
When I read Viral, I heard Sweet's strong exhortations to get with the time, to embrace the social medium and use my platform to share Christ. These pages don't have the prophetic edge of a Jacques Ellul or Albert Borgmann questioning what meaningful thing is lost when we embrace new technologies (although Sweet quotes Marshall McLuhan several times). You also won't find Neil Postman's incisive analysis of how Western culture developed technology, but technology is now making us. But Sweet is not wholly ignorant of the dangers inherent in this tangled web we weave. He just chooses to accentuate the positive.
Sweet compares the two cultures that co-exist in our time. The Gutenbergers, love the printed word, sustained thought, but are also individualistic, narcissistic and prone to argument. The Googlers are digitally connected, think its more important to be in relationship than to be right and prize images and symbols and metaphors (though they still like text). As I expected, Sweet thinks that the Googlers are where our culture has moved to and so if we are serious about engaging the world with a Christian message, than we ought to move into the digital age engaging in the entire spectrum of the `TGIF' culture (Twitter, Google, iphone, Facebook).
Yet Sweet does not give his wholesale stamp on every phenomenon in the Google world. What he is really interesting is describing our context, where we live and how we relate to each other in our day and age, and how we remain faithful to Christ in the midst of that culture. So while much of this book is a glowing endorsement of twitter and iphone, Sweet augments that with suggestions of how to tweet in a transformative way and how to tell beautiful, poetic stories of God's goodness in an era where people spend half the day looking at cat memes. A lot of what he says tells people how to navigate the Google world better, some of it cries out for some of the Guttenbergers' literary skill, left brain thinking and analysis. So while Sweet comes down on the side of the Googlers, he affirms that both groups need each other.
This a worthwhile read and despite my skepticism and suspicions, I found some real insights here on how to use my online platform for the kingdom of God. This book is way over simplified in its analysis (Sweet admits as much) but it does a good job of naming and illustrating some of the major trends in culture that has happened over the past forty years. As always, Sweet provides you with a plethora of acronyms and witty terms which you will either enjoy or roll your eyes at. But despite his trendy, poppy prose, this book has good stuff to say and I would recommend it to those who are trying to be ambassadors for Christ in a digital world. As always, Sweet's interactive discussion questions, poke and prode and invite you into deeper learning (rather than just rehearse the chapter for you). Read it. According to Sweet, if you are Googler you will read it on your reader or ipad, if you are Guttenberger, you will read the print version. I read both, which I suppose means I'm every woman (or boy).
Thank you to Waterbrook Multnomah for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for this review.
Ideologically I generally feel a little out of step with Sweet. He is always waxing eloquent about where we are in culture and how we should speak relevantly in our context. I want to ask how our context can prevent us from experiencing the truth of the gospel and numb us to the Spirit's movement. I feel this most acutely in relationship to technology. I have a blog, I'm on Facebook and Twitter and happy to amass friends and followers at each venue (and yes, I blog as a Christian), but I also wonder how technology is numbing my ability to know God intimately, to be in silence and solitude, and to make meaningful connections where I live.
When I read Viral, I heard Sweet's strong exhortations to get with the time, to embrace the social medium and use my platform to share Christ. These pages don't have the prophetic edge of a Jacques Ellul or Albert Borgmann questioning what meaningful thing is lost when we embrace new technologies (although Sweet quotes Marshall McLuhan several times). You also won't find Neil Postman's incisive analysis of how Western culture developed technology, but technology is now making us. But Sweet is not wholly ignorant of the dangers inherent in this tangled web we weave. He just chooses to accentuate the positive.
Sweet compares the two cultures that co-exist in our time. The Gutenbergers, love the printed word, sustained thought, but are also individualistic, narcissistic and prone to argument. The Googlers are digitally connected, think its more important to be in relationship than to be right and prize images and symbols and metaphors (though they still like text). As I expected, Sweet thinks that the Googlers are where our culture has moved to and so if we are serious about engaging the world with a Christian message, than we ought to move into the digital age engaging in the entire spectrum of the `TGIF' culture (Twitter, Google, iphone, Facebook).
Yet Sweet does not give his wholesale stamp on every phenomenon in the Google world. What he is really interesting is describing our context, where we live and how we relate to each other in our day and age, and how we remain faithful to Christ in the midst of that culture. So while much of this book is a glowing endorsement of twitter and iphone, Sweet augments that with suggestions of how to tweet in a transformative way and how to tell beautiful, poetic stories of God's goodness in an era where people spend half the day looking at cat memes. A lot of what he says tells people how to navigate the Google world better, some of it cries out for some of the Guttenbergers' literary skill, left brain thinking and analysis. So while Sweet comes down on the side of the Googlers, he affirms that both groups need each other.
This a worthwhile read and despite my skepticism and suspicions, I found some real insights here on how to use my online platform for the kingdom of God. This book is way over simplified in its analysis (Sweet admits as much) but it does a good job of naming and illustrating some of the major trends in culture that has happened over the past forty years. As always, Sweet provides you with a plethora of acronyms and witty terms which you will either enjoy or roll your eyes at. But despite his trendy, poppy prose, this book has good stuff to say and I would recommend it to those who are trying to be ambassadors for Christ in a digital world. As always, Sweet's interactive discussion questions, poke and prode and invite you into deeper learning (rather than just rehearse the chapter for you). Read it. According to Sweet, if you are Googler you will read it on your reader or ipad, if you are Guttenberger, you will read the print version. I read both, which I suppose means I'm every woman (or boy).
Thank you to Waterbrook Multnomah for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for this review.
August 14, 2012
A discussion of current Internet trends and their possible impact on Christianity, the church, and evangelism in the future.
The author seeks to understand the impact of current Internet trends through the prism of the contrast between those whom he calls "Gutenbergers," those who feel at home in the culture sustained by books, modernism, and all that is able to be quantified and analyzed, and the "Googlers," those who feel at home in the culture sustained by social media, postmodernism, and all that is relational. The author considers himself as an ex-"Gutenberger" who has come to appreciate the benefits of "Googler" culture.
The book primarily discusses "TGIF culture," or the impact of Twitter, Google, the iPhone, and Facebook on life, faith, culture, and church. The author thinks quite highly of the value of "TGIF culture" and its emphasis on the relational aspects of things. He wishes they had more appreciation for poetry (a rather long aside in the book), and thinks there is great potential in the holistic, relational, interconnected world of the "Googlers."
The more positive assessment of modern Internet culture is good to see: too many times such books assume the inherent "rightness" and benefits of "Gutenberger" culture, over-emphasize the downsides of Internet culture while seemingly unaware (or unconcerned) about the downsides of their own culture, and prove to be reactionary.
On the whole, though, I struggle with the contrast being made between "Gutenbergers" and "Googlers," mostly because the categories are defined by media and the means of consuming media. Most of the time I can see the generational/cultural contrasts made by authors in books like these, but this one was more difficult, and it's probably because one cannot categorize merely on the basis of prevalent media. Shifts from modernist to postmodernist thinking, the toppling of the Enlightenment paradigm, among other things, shape and inform the contrast between "Gutenbergers" and "Googlers" as much, if not more so, than using books vs. using the Internet. The contrast is useful inasmuch as it helps to inform why there are such differences between the "Gen-X/Buster" and "Gen-Y/Millennial" generations and the "Greatest/Builder" and "Boomer" generations. So yes, the attitude toward the Internet and the re-shaping of thinking, learning, researching, and connecting because of the Internet does have some explanatory power, but ought to be subject to these greater trends and themes for them to be fully appreciated.
I'm concerned that the author might be a bit too rosy regarding the "Googler" culture, but time will tell. If nothing else, the book might encourage "Gutenbergers" and "Googlers" to be better able to appreciate which each brings to the table and to supply what the other lacks. That is far better than for each group to despise each other and to attack each other, and is more consistent with 1 Corinthians 12:12-29.
An interesting analysis, and one that is useful to stimulate thinking.
**--book received as part of early review program.
The author seeks to understand the impact of current Internet trends through the prism of the contrast between those whom he calls "Gutenbergers," those who feel at home in the culture sustained by books, modernism, and all that is able to be quantified and analyzed, and the "Googlers," those who feel at home in the culture sustained by social media, postmodernism, and all that is relational. The author considers himself as an ex-"Gutenberger" who has come to appreciate the benefits of "Googler" culture.
The book primarily discusses "TGIF culture," or the impact of Twitter, Google, the iPhone, and Facebook on life, faith, culture, and church. The author thinks quite highly of the value of "TGIF culture" and its emphasis on the relational aspects of things. He wishes they had more appreciation for poetry (a rather long aside in the book), and thinks there is great potential in the holistic, relational, interconnected world of the "Googlers."
The more positive assessment of modern Internet culture is good to see: too many times such books assume the inherent "rightness" and benefits of "Gutenberger" culture, over-emphasize the downsides of Internet culture while seemingly unaware (or unconcerned) about the downsides of their own culture, and prove to be reactionary.
On the whole, though, I struggle with the contrast being made between "Gutenbergers" and "Googlers," mostly because the categories are defined by media and the means of consuming media. Most of the time I can see the generational/cultural contrasts made by authors in books like these, but this one was more difficult, and it's probably because one cannot categorize merely on the basis of prevalent media. Shifts from modernist to postmodernist thinking, the toppling of the Enlightenment paradigm, among other things, shape and inform the contrast between "Gutenbergers" and "Googlers" as much, if not more so, than using books vs. using the Internet. The contrast is useful inasmuch as it helps to inform why there are such differences between the "Gen-X/Buster" and "Gen-Y/Millennial" generations and the "Greatest/Builder" and "Boomer" generations. So yes, the attitude toward the Internet and the re-shaping of thinking, learning, researching, and connecting because of the Internet does have some explanatory power, but ought to be subject to these greater trends and themes for them to be fully appreciated.
I'm concerned that the author might be a bit too rosy regarding the "Googler" culture, but time will tell. If nothing else, the book might encourage "Gutenbergers" and "Googlers" to be better able to appreciate which each brings to the table and to supply what the other lacks. That is far better than for each group to despise each other and to attack each other, and is more consistent with 1 Corinthians 12:12-29.
An interesting analysis, and one that is useful to stimulate thinking.
**--book received as part of early review program.
February 1, 2016
"Genesis 2 reminds us that we are all created to connect on a personal level in significant community. Yet, being one virtual profile among a sea of millions creates a competitive atmosphere where successful individuals become intuitive experts at self-branding."
--Brad Howell, "Finding Love One Byte at a Time"
I haven't read this book, or anything else by Brad for that matter. But I think this quote says something about us. Something is deeply wrong.
What I have read is Viral by Leonard Sweet. As he puts it, "this book is a tale of two tribes." The tribes he identifies are Gutenbergers and Googlers. The Gutenbergers are those people who have been influenced and live in a world created by the invention of the printing press. Yes, that happened a long time ago, but the world of pre-Google was heavily influenced by this sudden spread of information.
Speaking of a spread of information, we'e living a new digital age where everything has indeed gone viral. This is the world of the Googler, a tribe that has embraced social networking in a way that seems foreign to older generations.
Sweet does a good job of explaining the upside of all this new technology, even for the Christian who might celebrate the Bible being the first printed book off the printing press. At points, it felt like he railed a bit too much against philosophers as being stuck in the Gutenberg tribe. (I may be sensitive as someone who majored in philosophy.) I believe he was trying to convey that our sharing of faith cannot reside in listing out answers to every question posed in this world. But philosophers have often been the poets that he did praise.
Along the way, he uses many new words, like 'complexipacity' and 'metaphor', words he uses to better define the culture we now live in. To put things in perspective, he quotes inventor and entrepreneur Dean Kamen as saying that "an eight year old today sees the internet with about as much fascination as you see the toilet."
In the end, Sweet is not arguing for Gutenbergers to simply 'suck it up' and accept the new realities. We do need to realize the world we are living in is constantly changing, and much like a missionary researches and adapts to the culture they live in, our effectiveness as a Church will require us to do the same.
I received Viral from my good friends at Waterbrook Multnomah. They send me books and ask me to say things. They don't tell me I have to be nice. That part just comes naturally. You can check out this book at their site.
You can check out Leonard Sweet at the following sites.
Author Website
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Read Chapter One
Author Bio
August 10, 2012
Change is an absolute as is the human need for connection. One happens externally, the other is hard-wired inside of us. In his book Viral, Leonard Sweet examines both dynamics as they operate in the world around us.
At first glance I thought this book’s goal would be to guide churches in utilizing technology for revival. As I began to read I then thought the goal would be to assist “Gutenbergs” and “Googlers” to understand each other and coexist. What I found was a work that transcended my initial concepts and taught me more about social media and personal interaction than I ever expected to learn in a book.
One example was Len’s observation of Jesus when he states, “No one was better at tweets than Jesus.” Examples consist of the Lord’s prayer (70 words) and “Love one another as I have loved you.” Jesus’ followers were called to retweet everything Jesus said to them; not to simply “like” it. I saw several references to this author’s other recent work, I am a Follower, as he asserts the importance of the twitter follower and encourages each of us to move forward. “He not busy being born is busy dying” -Bob Dylan (106).
Each chapter pushes the reader forward. From books to web, then twitter, google, iPhone and finally Facebook, the chapters build to answer the crucial question. Will you be an artist in the sea of painters? (188). Will you be a part of it? (191).
My answer is yes; and through the insightful writing and personally reflective guidance of Dr. Sweet I believe I’ll be better prepared to meet the future challenge of connecting to others for the sake of Christ.
A copy of this book was provided free of charge in exchange for this review.
================
Below is a bonus quote from the book, not included in my review. I found it to be VERY helpful as I relate to others.
Our Church plant, Journey heavily favors “Googlers”!
Gutenbergers are holdovers from the print era while Googlers are “digital natives.” According to Sweet, the differences between Gutenbergers and Googles goes far beyond their familiarity and comfort with the Internet and mobile devices. He writes:
Gutenbergers: It’s necessary to be right.
Googlers: It’s necessary to be in relationship.
Gutenbergers: God is in charge.
Googlers: God chose to be among us.
Gutenbergers: Capital campaign.
Googlers: Homeless campaign
Gutenbergers: Statement of faith.
Googlers: Life of faith.
Gutenbergers: Build something.
Googlers: Meet someone.
At first glance I thought this book’s goal would be to guide churches in utilizing technology for revival. As I began to read I then thought the goal would be to assist “Gutenbergs” and “Googlers” to understand each other and coexist. What I found was a work that transcended my initial concepts and taught me more about social media and personal interaction than I ever expected to learn in a book.
One example was Len’s observation of Jesus when he states, “No one was better at tweets than Jesus.” Examples consist of the Lord’s prayer (70 words) and “Love one another as I have loved you.” Jesus’ followers were called to retweet everything Jesus said to them; not to simply “like” it. I saw several references to this author’s other recent work, I am a Follower, as he asserts the importance of the twitter follower and encourages each of us to move forward. “He not busy being born is busy dying” -Bob Dylan (106).
Each chapter pushes the reader forward. From books to web, then twitter, google, iPhone and finally Facebook, the chapters build to answer the crucial question. Will you be an artist in the sea of painters? (188). Will you be a part of it? (191).
My answer is yes; and through the insightful writing and personally reflective guidance of Dr. Sweet I believe I’ll be better prepared to meet the future challenge of connecting to others for the sake of Christ.
A copy of this book was provided free of charge in exchange for this review.
================
Below is a bonus quote from the book, not included in my review. I found it to be VERY helpful as I relate to others.
Our Church plant, Journey heavily favors “Googlers”!
Gutenbergers are holdovers from the print era while Googlers are “digital natives.” According to Sweet, the differences between Gutenbergers and Googles goes far beyond their familiarity and comfort with the Internet and mobile devices. He writes:
Gutenbergers: It’s necessary to be right.
Googlers: It’s necessary to be in relationship.
Gutenbergers: God is in charge.
Googlers: God chose to be among us.
Gutenbergers: Capital campaign.
Googlers: Homeless campaign
Gutenbergers: Statement of faith.
Googlers: Life of faith.
Gutenbergers: Build something.
Googlers: Meet someone.
July 16, 2012
Leonard Sweet, PhD, is one of the leading cultural observer, and has written many wise and provocative books challenging the thinking of Christians across the world. If you have tried to figure out what makes our youngest iPhone generation be so tied to their facebook and texting, you have to read this book. It won't supply the answers to how they think but it will help explain how you might be able to get the Christian message to them.
Are you a Googler or Gutenberger? I find I am half and half. I have used a postage stamp, written a handwritten note and written a check, but I also am far more dependent to my cell phone for restaurant reviews, gps, games, car repair youtubes, and reading then I would ever have dreamed possible 10 years ago. I imagine most churches are still thinking of communication in newspaper, library books, and the printed word, rather then cruising the table for the Bible verses, major thinkers thoughts, friendship. Gutenbergers have held control by putting the gospel on radio, television and movies, we have built our mega churches to make flip flop ragged jean folks comfortable but still they have not come and stayed, especially since cell phones. We have raised a new generation of people who can't read music, and only can repeat phrases over and over.
If you think TGIF means Thank God it's Friday, you are wrong, it means to the Goggler culture, Twitter, Google, iPhone and Facebook. Where did we miss the point that communication in TGIF culture is largely virtual. Leonard suggests a couple of contrasts.
Jesus is message more than manuscript
He is story more than instruction manual
He is a personal letter, not the envelope it comes in
He is a launching pad, not a storage locker
He is self-defining, not an entry in a Bible dictionary
He is mystery, not equation
He is a personal experience and direct reality, not a syllabus or lesson plan
This book will help you see the direction that we need to go to attract the young people, they are the future of our churches and they do want an explanation of life, a relationship with many others unlike themselves. Give it a try. Go Viral. It stretched me and I think it will you also.
I am an older church librarian and I found this to be very helpful in explaining to the above 65 folks somewhat that is going on as far as communication...
December 30, 2012
Viral: How Social Networking Is Poised to Ignite Revival was my first introduction to Dr. Leonard Sweet, and man was a I blown away!
In this book, Sweet works on breaking down two main topics and explains their impact on culture, relationships and communication; and then relates that information to how it has affected the spread of the Gospel. The first topic is that of the two generations we see in USAmerica—”Gutenberger” and “Googler”— and weaves the comparison of these generations through each main category of the second topic—the “TGIF culture.”
Sweet goes through a great effort early in the book to help the reader understand the difference between the “Gutenbergers” and “Googlers.” This greatly solidifies the significance of the message, as it enables you to put his argument into proper context, how social networking is poised to ignite revival. If you don’t grasp the generational differences from the beginning, then it would be difficult to follow the rest of the book, as it leans heavily on understanding the differences. He then builds on this foundation with a great teaching on the significance of the “TGIF culture”—Twitter, Google, iPhone, Facebook.
I have the privilege of approaching this book from a unique position—I have my degree in Youth Ministry and have been a Youth Pastor at 2 churches, am currently starting a new church, and also work full time as the Social Media Manager for an international non-profit organization. So to see the significance and importance of Sweets proposal is an understatement. I live what he is teaching here on a daily basis beyond being an early adopter of Facebook, Twitter, and the iPhone.
This book is highly recommended!
Since I began reading this book, every person I have come in contact with that works with youth in any fashion, as well as anyone involved in church ministry, has heard me rant about how important it is for them to read this book. To date, I believe it is one of the most well-written books on the subject of the cultural significance of social networking and it’s affect on the Gospel.
So, are you a Gutenburger or a Googler? Are you a catalyst for sparking revival, or have you become irrelevant to this evolving culture? Get your copy today and find out!
In this book, Sweet works on breaking down two main topics and explains their impact on culture, relationships and communication; and then relates that information to how it has affected the spread of the Gospel. The first topic is that of the two generations we see in USAmerica—”Gutenberger” and “Googler”— and weaves the comparison of these generations through each main category of the second topic—the “TGIF culture.”
Sweet goes through a great effort early in the book to help the reader understand the difference between the “Gutenbergers” and “Googlers.” This greatly solidifies the significance of the message, as it enables you to put his argument into proper context, how social networking is poised to ignite revival. If you don’t grasp the generational differences from the beginning, then it would be difficult to follow the rest of the book, as it leans heavily on understanding the differences. He then builds on this foundation with a great teaching on the significance of the “TGIF culture”—Twitter, Google, iPhone, Facebook.
I have the privilege of approaching this book from a unique position—I have my degree in Youth Ministry and have been a Youth Pastor at 2 churches, am currently starting a new church, and also work full time as the Social Media Manager for an international non-profit organization. So to see the significance and importance of Sweets proposal is an understatement. I live what he is teaching here on a daily basis beyond being an early adopter of Facebook, Twitter, and the iPhone.
This book is highly recommended!
Since I began reading this book, every person I have come in contact with that works with youth in any fashion, as well as anyone involved in church ministry, has heard me rant about how important it is for them to read this book. To date, I believe it is one of the most well-written books on the subject of the cultural significance of social networking and it’s affect on the Gospel.
So, are you a Gutenburger or a Googler? Are you a catalyst for sparking revival, or have you become irrelevant to this evolving culture? Get your copy today and find out!
May 2, 2012
‘Viral,’ by Leonard Sweet, Waterbrook Press, 2012, 240 Pages, ISBN-13: 978-0307459152,
$14.99
Leonard Sweet’s new book, “Viral” is all about the digital age of technology and how the virtual world of connectivity and relationships of social media relate to the gospel. Although written by a George Fox University professor, the content is entertaining, with well-developed ideas, and is easy to read and understand.
Sweet begins by describing two tribes of people, “Googlers,” who feel “…most at home in the twenty-first-century.” This group comfortably navigates the virtual world and uses cell phones, Twitter, FaceBook and LinkedIn with regularity.
The other tribe he describes as “Gutenberger’s,” a group more comfortable with the tools of Johann Gutenberg, who first introduced printing to Europe in 1438. This group, shaped by twentieth-century Cold Wars, the Beatles, a space race and presidential assassination prefers books printed on paper. They sporadically or rarely use the digital technology of the virtual world.
While both tribes have the basic need to feel a sense of belonging, acceptance and relationship, the author believes “Googlers” “freely admit” and seeks ways to fill that need in the cybernetic world, whereas “Gutenberger’s” remain constrained, uncertain and a bit fearful of the digital age.
Which begs the question, what does this have to do with Christianity? A Christian lives a life of …Full Review: http://tinyurl.com/7u64d28
$14.99
Leonard Sweet’s new book, “Viral” is all about the digital age of technology and how the virtual world of connectivity and relationships of social media relate to the gospel. Although written by a George Fox University professor, the content is entertaining, with well-developed ideas, and is easy to read and understand.
Sweet begins by describing two tribes of people, “Googlers,” who feel “…most at home in the twenty-first-century.” This group comfortably navigates the virtual world and uses cell phones, Twitter, FaceBook and LinkedIn with regularity.
The other tribe he describes as “Gutenberger’s,” a group more comfortable with the tools of Johann Gutenberg, who first introduced printing to Europe in 1438. This group, shaped by twentieth-century Cold Wars, the Beatles, a space race and presidential assassination prefers books printed on paper. They sporadically or rarely use the digital technology of the virtual world.
While both tribes have the basic need to feel a sense of belonging, acceptance and relationship, the author believes “Googlers” “freely admit” and seeks ways to fill that need in the cybernetic world, whereas “Gutenberger’s” remain constrained, uncertain and a bit fearful of the digital age.
Which begs the question, what does this have to do with Christianity? A Christian lives a life of …Full Review: http://tinyurl.com/7u64d28
September 19, 2015
Excellent insight into the digital culture that permeates our society today. Sweet refers to this culture as the TGIF Culture (Twitter, Google, iPhone, Facebook). And, the generation of people who have grown up in and live in this culture are called Googlers. Any of us who have grown up or lived in the generations prior to these Googlers are referred to as Gutenbergers. Why? Because we are accustomed to the printed word and the mindset that accompanies it (i.e. power of words, dogma, exactness, institutions, etc). Sweet does a terrific job in contrasting these two generations and explains what the Googlers are and what they are not. No matter how you may view these Googlers, they are indeed relationship and community minded. They may go about this in a matter that we Gutenbergers are not accustomed to (i.e. through texting, Facebook, Twitter, etc.). Nevertheless they are relational. Relationships through Facebook, Twitter, texting, etc. is how they do it. And, we as a church must face this reality, learn to become a part of it, or essentially become irrelevant. I highly recommend this work to those who are comfortable swimming in the Gutenberg pool and are dumbstruck about this new digital culture. And, I highly recommend this book to Christians who want to better understand this culture in order to be relevant in an increasingly post-modern, post-Christian era.
June 30, 2013
I very much enjoyed this frank discussion about some of the differences between Gutenbergers and Googlers. I do find some of the definitions, by necessity, a little too absolute. Like most things, when we think that we or others are at the extremes of the pendulum swing, we forget that the pendulum spends more time in transition between the extremes than at either end.
This is a challenge to get to the root of our faith and its practice. If we can reflect on what is truly necessary, and understand why we think the way we do, then we will able to find out what attracts other people. Change is always fearful but the reality is that it is well underway now and we need to understand it. I believe that Sweet does a brilliant job using his own Gutenberger nature to explain to the reader what is actually happening. His hope for revival appears to be well founded and fully developed. The question is: Where do we clergy fit into this inevitable occasion? How can we use his research to bring Christ to those who are in need in a language and a way that they will accept? What's next?
This is a challenge to get to the root of our faith and its practice. If we can reflect on what is truly necessary, and understand why we think the way we do, then we will able to find out what attracts other people. Change is always fearful but the reality is that it is well underway now and we need to understand it. I believe that Sweet does a brilliant job using his own Gutenberger nature to explain to the reader what is actually happening. His hope for revival appears to be well founded and fully developed. The question is: Where do we clergy fit into this inevitable occasion? How can we use his research to bring Christ to those who are in need in a language and a way that they will accept? What's next?
May 3, 2012
An incredible work by one of the most futuristic Christian authors of our time. When I started the book, I was under the assumption that this work would be readable only once because of the specific technologies that Sweet centers his ideas around: Twitter, Google, iPhone and Facebook.
Fortunately, Sweets uses one well-constructed analogy (and "narraphor," as he calls them) after another to transcend simplistic, unoriginal ideas like how-to's on technology and what-would-Jesus-do methodologies. Sweet cuts to the core of the current Christian culture by examining our social networking habits in ways that reveal the strengths and weaknesses behind our obeying of the greatest Second Commandment: Love thy neighbor as thyself.
His comparisons between "Gutenburgers" (those of the previous generations) and "Googlers" (current generation) truly help one generation understand the other. And we should be understanding: It's our only chance of succeeding.
Fortunately, Sweets uses one well-constructed analogy (and "narraphor," as he calls them) after another to transcend simplistic, unoriginal ideas like how-to's on technology and what-would-Jesus-do methodologies. Sweet cuts to the core of the current Christian culture by examining our social networking habits in ways that reveal the strengths and weaknesses behind our obeying of the greatest Second Commandment: Love thy neighbor as thyself.
His comparisons between "Gutenburgers" (those of the previous generations) and "Googlers" (current generation) truly help one generation understand the other. And we should be understanding: It's our only chance of succeeding.
October 24, 2014
Viral by Leonard Sweet is jam packed with quotes, thoughts, examples, and references as the author muses for page after page about where we've been and where we're going. The book overall is optimistic about the prospects of making authentic connections and relationship through online social media. It also argues that social media is part of the force changing the way people relate to knowledge, information, ideas, and the Gospel. The view here is one of transition, necessary transition. There is no going backward. I found the read fascinating and encouraging. I've personally not seen the kinds of interaction and connection that Sweet describes, but he's convinced me that I need to continue dabbling with Facebook, Twitter, and whatever comes next. Otherwise, I'll become even more of a dinosaur than I already am.
May 3, 2012
Wonderful compare and contrast of Gutenbergers (those who persist in modernism) and Googlers (those who are native or stretch into the wired culture). A look at what each brings to the conversation of faith, and why we need more of the latter, not less. Bonus: a whole chapter on the importance of poetry!
December 7, 2012
I guess I'm just not a Leonard Sweet fan. People keep raving about this book, but I thought it was okay, definitely not great. The premise piqued my interest, but there was too much generalization and too little 'fact' to keep me hooked. For a extended review, see here: http://www.youthleadersacademy.com/bo...
May 27, 2013
This is now the second Leonard Sweet book I have read. I hope he is a better speaker than he is an author. He manages to say a lot without saying much. There were lots of things that did not connect, and implications that maybe he saw as obvious and expected readers to find. Maybe it's me, but I'm not the only one who thinks his books are overrated.
January 10, 2016
For the reclusive yet faithful people who have qualms and fears in managing an online presence, this book is for you. It has set me free, and so will you! Slowly, I am trying to grasp the Googler inside this outdated Gutenberger. Read the book and you'll get what I mean!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 16, 2012
Good stuff. If you are at all wondering how some of the generations mesh with the technology shifts and what that means for the church. This is a good one to digest.
November 7, 2012
Challenging, somewhat wordy, and full of great verbal illustrations. Not the easiest read, but extremely important for those who want to understand how social networking impacts the church.
September 13, 2012
I loved this book!
May 18, 2012
a helpful and practical book on the use and importance of social media today.
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