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Always On: Practicing Faith in a New Media Landscape
2020 Book of the Year Award, Academy of Parish Clergy
Many of us are "always on"--scrolling through social media, checking email, or searching the web. New media spaces can be sites and instruments of God's unconditional love, but they can also nurture harmful conditions and become sources of anxiety, jealousy, and despondency. Always On provides useful tools for helping students and congregants understand the world of social media and engage it faithfully, enabling Christian communities to address its use in constructive, pastoral ways. The book includes discussion questions and sample exercises for each chapter.
Many of us are "always on"--scrolling through social media, checking email, or searching the web. New media spaces can be sites and instruments of God's unconditional love, but they can also nurture harmful conditions and become sources of anxiety, jealousy, and despondency. Always On provides useful tools for helping students and congregants understand the world of social media and engage it faithfully, enabling Christian communities to address its use in constructive, pastoral ways. The book includes discussion questions and sample exercises for each chapter.
208 pages, Paperback
Published May 21, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
December 22, 2019
Perhaps you are like me and you spend time on social media each day. You may check your facebook feed several times a day. You might be on Twitter and Instagram and several other forms of social media. You may access it on your desktop computer or your smartphone (or both). Or you may avoid it like a plague. You may have a flip phone for phone calls and maybe do a bit of email, but not much else. The fact is, most of us are engaged with it in some form. We may grow frustrated with it or we might delight in it, but it's there, whether we like it or not. So, how do we who are Christians practice our faith in this social media context?
The title of Angela Williams Gorrell's book is eye-catching. It describes many of us -- Always On. Gorrell is a professor of practical theology at a seminary and a former youth minister. She writes from her own experience and her in-depth study of the subject. She writes the book in order to help us navigate this world faithfully.
There is much that is good about these forms of new media that have become ubiquitous in the last quarter-century. We can communicate with people over long distances, rekindling friendships in ways not possible in person. We can share our faith in non-threatening ways. I share my sermons using Facebook Live and Youtube while communicating my thoughts on a variety of topics on my blog. At the same time, these forms of media can be destructive. Studies show, as Gorrell points out that many users experience shame and envy and even depression. There is the on-going problem of cyber-bullying and a growing problem of sharing false information (it's easy to simply share something that seems true, without checking out the source).
Gorrell takes us from the possibilities provided by social media, through the challenges of our brokenness and how this can get amplified. She helps us explore ways of expanding dialogue with others while inviting us to reflect critically on our cultural stories. The key here is that social media provides ways of sharing and shaping stories. This can be useful and beneficial in the work of ministry. But we need to be discerning users. All of this is explored in the various chapters of the book. We learn of the wonderful opportunities provided by these forms of media, as well as the perils. Knowing how to use faithfully is important. She even brings in Ignatius' examen as a means of faithful reflection.
This is a book that needs to be read by the broader Christian community, but especially by clergy. I was challenged as I read to be more forthcoming in addressing matters of social media in the context of the church, including preaching on the subject. We cannot run away from it. We might step back. We might put some boundaries, but social media isn't going away anytime soon. Some forms might disappear (remember MySpace), but new forms keep emerging. We won't be able to keep up, but we need to be aware. We need to be discerning users. We are, as she notes, living into a hybrid form of living that takes place in the physical realm, but also in the virtual realm. The healthy form of living isn't to bifurcate, but to integrate. She writes that "in the present social and technological landscape, it is imperative that Christian communities frame the love of God and neighbor (which includes one's enemies) in terms of Christian practices that are integrated across physical and digital environments and practiced during in-person and mediated communication." (p. 142).
So, what kind of presence do we want to have in this new media landscape? What kind of message? How does what we say and do in this context bring peace and justice and compassion to our world? These are important questions lifted up for us to consider.
The title of Angela Williams Gorrell's book is eye-catching. It describes many of us -- Always On. Gorrell is a professor of practical theology at a seminary and a former youth minister. She writes from her own experience and her in-depth study of the subject. She writes the book in order to help us navigate this world faithfully.
There is much that is good about these forms of new media that have become ubiquitous in the last quarter-century. We can communicate with people over long distances, rekindling friendships in ways not possible in person. We can share our faith in non-threatening ways. I share my sermons using Facebook Live and Youtube while communicating my thoughts on a variety of topics on my blog. At the same time, these forms of media can be destructive. Studies show, as Gorrell points out that many users experience shame and envy and even depression. There is the on-going problem of cyber-bullying and a growing problem of sharing false information (it's easy to simply share something that seems true, without checking out the source).
Gorrell takes us from the possibilities provided by social media, through the challenges of our brokenness and how this can get amplified. She helps us explore ways of expanding dialogue with others while inviting us to reflect critically on our cultural stories. The key here is that social media provides ways of sharing and shaping stories. This can be useful and beneficial in the work of ministry. But we need to be discerning users. All of this is explored in the various chapters of the book. We learn of the wonderful opportunities provided by these forms of media, as well as the perils. Knowing how to use faithfully is important. She even brings in Ignatius' examen as a means of faithful reflection.
This is a book that needs to be read by the broader Christian community, but especially by clergy. I was challenged as I read to be more forthcoming in addressing matters of social media in the context of the church, including preaching on the subject. We cannot run away from it. We might step back. We might put some boundaries, but social media isn't going away anytime soon. Some forms might disappear (remember MySpace), but new forms keep emerging. We won't be able to keep up, but we need to be aware. We need to be discerning users. We are, as she notes, living into a hybrid form of living that takes place in the physical realm, but also in the virtual realm. The healthy form of living isn't to bifurcate, but to integrate. She writes that "in the present social and technological landscape, it is imperative that Christian communities frame the love of God and neighbor (which includes one's enemies) in terms of Christian practices that are integrated across physical and digital environments and practiced during in-person and mediated communication." (p. 142).
So, what kind of presence do we want to have in this new media landscape? What kind of message? How does what we say and do in this context bring peace and justice and compassion to our world? These are important questions lifted up for us to consider.
March 8, 2019
The new media is defining us in more ways than one. This is not just social media. It is a new age of media technology and people interactions that revolutionizes the way we work, play, and live. Social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter have changed the way we communicate with one another. People express themselves using online platforms such as YouTube and Instagram. Consumers buy and sell on sites such as eBay and Amazon while many play online Internet games with people they have never met face to face. This is the face of the new media. Like any phenomenon or change of social landscape, there are plus and minus aspects. It has the potential to communicate and to bring about a lot of good in brand new ways. Unfortunately, the downsides are also huge. In order to ensure we have a healthy kind of hybrid, that is, to maximize the positive and minimize the negative, it would be a great way forward. This could be done through "interested conversations" that enables meaningful dialogue that are both "theologically reflective" as well as "Spirit-guided." Author Angela Gorrell brings us through a fascinating journey through the new media terrain. It is an ambitious attempt to connect ancient faith with modern media. Like our modern multimedia folks, the early church communicate with one another through many senses such as "written, oral" and "reading and singing." The common theme is communicating. The difference is the specific ways we communicate the written, the spoken, and the various dialogue avenues. While that might be true, it is also true that social media has been mixed with fake news and "empty and shallow" talk. This is a legitimate concern but the potential for Christians to influence worldviews is too big to be ignored.
Gorrell takes special care not to presume anything but to go through the basics of what it means to stream, to scan, to friend, to post, to follow, to tag, etc. The key thing is to understand the potential for meaning-filled conversations. Gorrell shows us that it is possible to maintain healthy and constructive conversations through new media. One major way is through the telling of stories. Unfortunately, many stories are one-sided or partial. They only tell the side of the story that people want others to know. She hits the mark by pointing out the subjectivity of such story-telling. By identifying and highlighting the plots and sub-plots of our stories, we are challenged to go beyond cultural norms toward a more holistic vision of what it means to be human. We need to challenge the underlying cultural norms of self-reliance, superiority of desires, and how we trap ourselves through hypocrisy and a lack of honesty to deal with the real issues with ourselves. It is here that Gorrell raises the very thesis of her book, that an "always on" environment stimulates an "always on" individual to become desensitized to one's real sense of need. We are fallible but technology deceives us about infallibility by making us think we are more right than we actually are. We desire meaning so much that we often look for them in all the wrong places. We need to be watchful about what we post and careful about ulterior motives behind the media providers. That said, research has also shown that the way people use new media gives us an insight into their psychological profile. Even if we cannot solve all the problems created by new media, we can at least understand more about our human selves. By sharpening our understanding of how these new media work, we are more able to understand both the potential and the perils of using them. The chapter on "online Jesus" is probably the one that many believers would be interested in, how to be a witness online. Gorrell even shows us the way we could use the lectio divina online!
My Thoughts
There are three reasons for the need to learn about this new way of life and why this book is significant. Firstly, it is the new way we live. How we communicate and relate to one another is affected by this new media. Whether we are using social networking sites, producing user contents on YouTube, buying stuff on Amazon or Ebay; or playing on game sites on the Internet, we are essentially participants in this new world of technology and media. Even if we manage to avoid using any of these media, our friends, loved ones, business associates, clients are users. So it makes sense to learn and understand this new media lingo.
Second, all of us need help with regard to understanding what the media is trying to do. Marshall McLuhan's thesis is so apt, that "The media is the message." Not only is the new media changing the way we live, it is also changing us in more ways than one. If that is so, why don't we adapt and adjust. Humans are adaptable people. Gorrell is doing us a favour by doing the heavy-lifting of explaining what the new media is and their unique characteristics and how we can use them appropriately. For believers, though they often say that they want to be salt and light of the world wherever they go, saying is one thing, doing is yet another. Books of this nature will be a valuable guide to help us navigate the complexities of the new media landscape. Just knowing their strengths and weaknesses, what they can or cannot do
Third, with the acceleration of advancement of science and technology, the examples and platforms described inside would be outdated pretty quickly. Will Facebook and Twitter still be around in ten years? Will there be new jazzier and more hip media in the future? There is no assurance that even half of our modern media platforms would survive into the next decade. Point is, the specifics may differ, but the philosophy and path toward human flourishing remain an evergreen topic. We are all trying to improve our lives all the time, to do things better. When reading this book, focus not on the specifics or technical details of the digital media, but on the people using it. Use whatever media use as a window into the lives of people. It is not simply a witch-hunt to identify who is right or who is wrong. The Russian novelist, Alexander Solzhenitsyn has famously said: "The battleline between good and evil runs through the heart of every man." Perhaps, the same can be said of new media, that the way people use new media could very well be the way it exposes the Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde in all of us.
Angela Williams Gorrell holds a PhD in Practical Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary. She is an ordained minister with Mennonite Church USA. She creates surveys, leads focus groups, conducts case studies, manages metrics and evaluation, and collects and analyzes social network data for organizations.
Rating: 4.5 stars of 5.
conrade
This book has been provided courtesy of Baker Academic and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.
Gorrell takes special care not to presume anything but to go through the basics of what it means to stream, to scan, to friend, to post, to follow, to tag, etc. The key thing is to understand the potential for meaning-filled conversations. Gorrell shows us that it is possible to maintain healthy and constructive conversations through new media. One major way is through the telling of stories. Unfortunately, many stories are one-sided or partial. They only tell the side of the story that people want others to know. She hits the mark by pointing out the subjectivity of such story-telling. By identifying and highlighting the plots and sub-plots of our stories, we are challenged to go beyond cultural norms toward a more holistic vision of what it means to be human. We need to challenge the underlying cultural norms of self-reliance, superiority of desires, and how we trap ourselves through hypocrisy and a lack of honesty to deal with the real issues with ourselves. It is here that Gorrell raises the very thesis of her book, that an "always on" environment stimulates an "always on" individual to become desensitized to one's real sense of need. We are fallible but technology deceives us about infallibility by making us think we are more right than we actually are. We desire meaning so much that we often look for them in all the wrong places. We need to be watchful about what we post and careful about ulterior motives behind the media providers. That said, research has also shown that the way people use new media gives us an insight into their psychological profile. Even if we cannot solve all the problems created by new media, we can at least understand more about our human selves. By sharpening our understanding of how these new media work, we are more able to understand both the potential and the perils of using them. The chapter on "online Jesus" is probably the one that many believers would be interested in, how to be a witness online. Gorrell even shows us the way we could use the lectio divina online!
My Thoughts
There are three reasons for the need to learn about this new way of life and why this book is significant. Firstly, it is the new way we live. How we communicate and relate to one another is affected by this new media. Whether we are using social networking sites, producing user contents on YouTube, buying stuff on Amazon or Ebay; or playing on game sites on the Internet, we are essentially participants in this new world of technology and media. Even if we manage to avoid using any of these media, our friends, loved ones, business associates, clients are users. So it makes sense to learn and understand this new media lingo.
Second, all of us need help with regard to understanding what the media is trying to do. Marshall McLuhan's thesis is so apt, that "The media is the message." Not only is the new media changing the way we live, it is also changing us in more ways than one. If that is so, why don't we adapt and adjust. Humans are adaptable people. Gorrell is doing us a favour by doing the heavy-lifting of explaining what the new media is and their unique characteristics and how we can use them appropriately. For believers, though they often say that they want to be salt and light of the world wherever they go, saying is one thing, doing is yet another. Books of this nature will be a valuable guide to help us navigate the complexities of the new media landscape. Just knowing their strengths and weaknesses, what they can or cannot do
Third, with the acceleration of advancement of science and technology, the examples and platforms described inside would be outdated pretty quickly. Will Facebook and Twitter still be around in ten years? Will there be new jazzier and more hip media in the future? There is no assurance that even half of our modern media platforms would survive into the next decade. Point is, the specifics may differ, but the philosophy and path toward human flourishing remain an evergreen topic. We are all trying to improve our lives all the time, to do things better. When reading this book, focus not on the specifics or technical details of the digital media, but on the people using it. Use whatever media use as a window into the lives of people. It is not simply a witch-hunt to identify who is right or who is wrong. The Russian novelist, Alexander Solzhenitsyn has famously said: "The battleline between good and evil runs through the heart of every man." Perhaps, the same can be said of new media, that the way people use new media could very well be the way it exposes the Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde in all of us.
Angela Williams Gorrell holds a PhD in Practical Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary. She is an ordained minister with Mennonite Church USA. She creates surveys, leads focus groups, conducts case studies, manages metrics and evaluation, and collects and analyzes social network data for organizations.
Rating: 4.5 stars of 5.
conrade
This book has been provided courtesy of Baker Academic and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.
August 9, 2021
This book is filled with good information about how we, as people, interact with social media and how we, as people of faith, may want to reflect and shape how that interaction should occur. That said, this book is not going to be engaging for everyone.
If you come to this book familiar with the current social media landscape (of mid-2021 as of the time of this review), there will be points where the book seems out of date and points where the use of examples to explain social media concepts begins to feel redundant. I think many of these explanations would do a wonderful job for those with less experience with social media, but I found myself skimming the paragraphs more and more often the further I was in the book.
Some other reviews noted that this book does a good job of engaging with philosophical and theological issues around social media use, but, for a book about practicing faith, lacks practical advise on the topic. I would agree that assessment, but only if you are reading the book on your own. The introduction recommends that this book be used as part of a group study and there are very good discussion questions at the end of each chapter. If the book is read and used as intended, I believe it would allow a community to develop those social media practices and habits that fit with their theology.
If you come to this book familiar with the current social media landscape (of mid-2021 as of the time of this review), there will be points where the book seems out of date and points where the use of examples to explain social media concepts begins to feel redundant. I think many of these explanations would do a wonderful job for those with less experience with social media, but I found myself skimming the paragraphs more and more often the further I was in the book.
Some other reviews noted that this book does a good job of engaging with philosophical and theological issues around social media use, but, for a book about practicing faith, lacks practical advise on the topic. I would agree that assessment, but only if you are reading the book on your own. The introduction recommends that this book be used as part of a group study and there are very good discussion questions at the end of each chapter. If the book is read and used as intended, I believe it would allow a community to develop those social media practices and habits that fit with their theology.
January 6, 2025
This book is deep. It worked my brain and took a whole to read. However, I don’t think I’ve read anything better on how to engage with social media. AWG asses the “profound brokenness and glorious possibilities” of new media.
She provides a series of questions to assess individually and as a community what the impact of different medias has, and how to choose to engage or not with it. After all, “questions invite agency.”
I think this could be an excellent resource for parents and teens to work through together. A must read for Christians who desire to represent Jesus in the online world.
She provides a series of questions to assess individually and as a community what the impact of different medias has, and how to choose to engage or not with it. After all, “questions invite agency.”
I think this could be an excellent resource for parents and teens to work through together. A must read for Christians who desire to represent Jesus in the online world.
September 17, 2019
The author of Always On tries to guide today's Christians through the new social media landscape. But it's not very helpful on a practical level.
Always On is written as more of an educational material for pastors than a how to for lay people. Gorrell lays some great theory and ideas about how social media works as layered with our lives. But it is just philosophy; no suggestions on how to actually take this idea of hybrid life and make our faith stronger; better. In fact, this book stays on the gloom side of social media. Is the system broken? Yes. But can good come from it? Yes as well! Always On missies the part where it can be used for good. This is peculiar because the author giver example of her life that it did through e-mail. In the final chapter the author finally succumbs to the idea that social media can be good but we are suggested to tag onto groups and ideas that have already been established. There is no suggestion that Christians reach out to those in pain or become a digital community to help give millennials and other groups a home.
Always on look at theory (in facct, only 66% of the book is content; the rest is sources, etc) and how social media can be detrimental while missing the promising conecting that can be created if Christians were to use it to spread the love of Christ.
I received an ARC trhough NetGalley; all opinions are my own.
Always On is written as more of an educational material for pastors than a how to for lay people. Gorrell lays some great theory and ideas about how social media works as layered with our lives. But it is just philosophy; no suggestions on how to actually take this idea of hybrid life and make our faith stronger; better. In fact, this book stays on the gloom side of social media. Is the system broken? Yes. But can good come from it? Yes as well! Always On missies the part where it can be used for good. This is peculiar because the author giver example of her life that it did through e-mail. In the final chapter the author finally succumbs to the idea that social media can be good but we are suggested to tag onto groups and ideas that have already been established. There is no suggestion that Christians reach out to those in pain or become a digital community to help give millennials and other groups a home.
Always on look at theory (in facct, only 66% of the book is content; the rest is sources, etc) and how social media can be detrimental while missing the promising conecting that can be created if Christians were to use it to spread the love of Christ.
I received an ARC trhough NetGalley; all opinions are my own.
September 22, 2025
Gorrell tackles "new media," a term which is so broad it almost defies rich discussion. Still, so many in contemporary culture either worship at the feet of Apple or see nothing but evil in everything from Netflix to TikTok. And Gorrell works hard to thread the needle, helping us to both acknowledge tremendous possibilities in new media and recognize real dangers. Since I am reading the book 5 years after publication, I can note how quickly the media landscape is changing. (She says almost nothing about AI.) But the theological reflection she brings to the topic is still on the money. Ultimately, Gorrell calls us to develop a "rule for life" concerning our use of new media. Perhaps that call is what is best about the book. So, read all the way to the end, because she does little with the idea before the final chapter.
February 13, 2024
'This book is an invitation to be interested in new media's glorious possibilities and profound brokenness.'
I've been looking for a while for a book that sees the positive side of 'social media' rather than seeing it as a danger to be avoided. Williams Gorrell speaks really well into this. There are only 6 chapters, but each one is well argued and thoughtful. Ultimately she sees new media as centred around connectedness and so looks for what God is doing there and seeks 'hybrid' and faithful living in that space.
Thought provoking and highly recommended.
I've been looking for a while for a book that sees the positive side of 'social media' rather than seeing it as a danger to be avoided. Williams Gorrell speaks really well into this. There are only 6 chapters, but each one is well argued and thoughtful. Ultimately she sees new media as centred around connectedness and so looks for what God is doing there and seeks 'hybrid' and faithful living in that space.
Thought provoking and highly recommended.
March 8, 2024
This book is a great, practical read for how to talk as a congregational about the impact of new media on our lives and faiths. The discussion questions would make for a great book club. Although this book is geared towards adults, I wish it had included practical ways to begin talking about new media in children’s ministry. Overall, a helpful and insightful book.
January 7, 2020
I enjoyed this book on a topic I haven't read a whole lot about - navigating the "new" (social) media world as a Christian. Instead of just instructions or ideas, Angela Gorrell bases the principles she shares in a Christian worldview - asking how Christians have interacted with various media and communication forms in the past, and how Jesus' teaching and example should inform our actions and attitudes on this topic. Overall, it was a good read on a subject that should be written more on!
August 6, 2021
Read this for class.. interesting to think about how ministry mixes with "new media" as the author calls it. It helps communities become more intentional about their new media usage and helps encourage them to think more theologically about the ways they engage online.
July 16, 2019
Actually quite informative to read and worth it in this "new world" for religion. Definitely will stick with me.
Received this as a first reads through goodreads giveaway for an honest review.
Received this as a first reads through goodreads giveaway for an honest review.
July 22, 2019
Love it
October 1, 2020
Very interesting and insightful. Interesting to see her take on social media and how to use it for good in a Christian setting.
April 27, 2025
Dr. Gorrell does an excellent imagining what christian formation can look like in the emerging digital milieu. She take readers through the current state of digital culture and how that is shaping individuals and communities and shares practical application related to participating in the redemptive work God is already doing online.
If you are thinking about the relationship between Christian formation and "new media" (social media, blogs, youtube, internet content, etc.) This is a great choice for you! Though it is dense, it is rather short! Great for thoughtful, critical, and theological reflection.
Bonus is that each chapter has reflection/discussion questions for individuals and groups as well as spiritual practices related to the chapters!
If you are thinking about the relationship between Christian formation and "new media" (social media, blogs, youtube, internet content, etc.) This is a great choice for you! Though it is dense, it is rather short! Great for thoughtful, critical, and theological reflection.
Bonus is that each chapter has reflection/discussion questions for individuals and groups as well as spiritual practices related to the chapters!
December 13, 2019
The book reads like a paper that was written for graduate school. That is not bad. Just a warning if you are expecting something a little lighter in non-fiction. The author gives examples from life, hers and the public in general. Of the good and the bad of being always on in every day life. Recomend it if you do not mind scholarly tone.
August 6, 2022
The first couple chapters are very dry, and feel repetitive. This isn't a terrible book for Christians to read together and discuss, it's just a little difficult to get through.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews