Neal Pollard
It has been six years since the Netflix documentary, The Social Dilemma. This film warns of the dire warning of the effects of social media, social networks, algorithms, and surveillance capitalism. It is what might be described as an alarmist or even a conspiracy theory piece if not for the fact that those who are featured throughout are some of the pioneers, engineers, executive, and early contributors of such platforms as Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, Apple, Google, Twitter, Instagram, and developers of AI.
I was most struck by a quote from someone with whom I would have little in common with ideologically. Her name is Dr. Cathy O’Neil, graduate of UC-Berkeley and Harvard, a mathematician and data scientist who understands algorithms at a level few of us do. She suggests that the data plugged into algorithms are subjective. In a TED talk, she warned of “data laundering” and “weapons of math destruction.” She warns that much is driven by money and personal bias rather than objective truth.
In The Social Dilemma, she said, “Google doesn’t have the option of saying, ‘Oh, is this conspiracy? Is this truth?’ Because they don’t know what truth is. They don’t have a… They don’t have a proxy for truth that’s better than a click. If we don’t agree on what is true or that there is such a thing as truth, we’re toast. This is the problem beneath other problems because if we can’t agree on what’s true, then we can’t navigate out of any of our problems.”
Others in the documentary echoed this existential concern that objective truth is elusive and disappearing in the world of technology and, therefore, the world as a whole. While none of them appealed to God or the Bible, I would suggest that it alone holds the key to providing what they crave and clamor for. Like modern day Pilates, growing numbers flippantly ask with a wave of the hand, “What is truth?” (John 18:38). They don’t know and don’t seem to care. Meanwhile, Jesus urges, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32). He affirms Himself as the moderator, definer, and revealer of truth (John 14:6). It is not bullying or destructive. It is comforting and protecting.
A world falling apart without objective truth–which is being noticed even by those with no interest or sympathy for Christianity–longs for an emotional and spiritual anchor they can trust. They want truth. Through His Word, Scripture, Jesus offers us the only solid rock that will hold the weight of the world. If these documentarians are anywhere close to right, we are falling deeper into a hole that offers the destruction of objective truth. As a countermeasure, Jesus offers His truth. It will navigate us out of all our problems, most of all our greatest problem (John 1:29; 8:24,34).
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