The New Media Epidemic

— About the Book —

If we realize how gravely sick is our civilization, we may gain strength to resist.

Philosopher and patrologist Dr Jean-Claude Larchet, renowned for his examinations of patristic writings on the causes and consequences of spiritual and physical illness, here diagnoses the pathologies of new media in a society that is eager for speed, proximity and immediacy. Writing in an accessible and straightforward manner he examines the harm and illusion brought by the invasion of digital devices—from radio to networked smart phones and beyond. He analyzes their all-encompassing impact on society and personal life.

This meticulous diagnosis of new media’s insidious effects — bodily, psychological, intellectual, and spiritual —concludes with a discussion of the ways individuals might limit and counteract the most deleterious of these, with the aim that they might “discover once more the authentically human and spiritual communion that we have lost.”   

— Contents —

Contents

Introduction

1          Invasion

2          When the Medium Replaces the Message

3          The Tyranny of the New Mediators

4          Shrinking Distance and Time

5          The Destruction of Interpersonal Relationships

6          Evil Encounters

7          The Abolition of Private Life

8          The Denial of the Body and Its Effects on Health

9          The Dominance of the Virtual over the Real

10        Mental Disorders

11        Dumbing Down the Mind

12        The Impoverishment of Spiritual Life

13        Prevention and Treatment

            Notes

            Subject Index