I Didn't Change, I Just Found Myself

As this Apple, Google, Facebook class (RLST 245) is coming to an end, it is interesting to reflect on everything we have learned. I came into this class thinking I was going to learn more about the companies of Apple, Google, and Facebook, and how they work and how they came to be, etc. And I did my all means. But I realize now, after walking out of the last class of the term, that the thing I learned most about was myself.

 

While signing up for this class 10 weeks ago I was so confused as to why it was under the religious studies department. I couldn't see what these technologically advancing companies had to do with religion. Then on the first day of class my professor answered that exact question. He started to talk about the Self and individualism and gave a brief overview of the people and ideas we were going to discuss in this class. My mind was blown. I realized that I had never really given much thought to my religion, other than knowing I don't believe in any specific religion.

First we started off with the Apple section. We read a biography about Steve Jobs called Steve Jobs written by Walter Isaacson. We learned about Jobs' background/ history, his personality, his ambitions and how Apple came to be. We connected Apple to religion by describing Apple's products to be an expansion of the Self. It is through these devices that we are able to maximize the Self.

Next we read Robert Bellah's Habits of the Heart. In this book, Bellah defines individualism in America. He differentiates between expressive and utilitarian individualism and talks a lot about having choices. He coins the term sheilaism, which refers to a religion in which you choose what you want to believe in.

After that we moved into our Google section. We learned about Sergey Brin and Larry Page, the creators of Google. We learned how Google aims to not only organize information for a search engine, but that they are focused on connecting the world. We discussed the many up and coming products Google is working on and the implications of such products. We even read the book titled I'm Feeling Lucky: The Confessions of Google Employee Number 59, written by Douglas Edwards. We connected Google to religion by describing it as a platform for the self. Google enables us to choose what we want.

 Lastly, we moved into our Facebook section of the class. We watched The Social Network and learned all about Facebook's founder, Mark Zuckerberg. We learned how Facebook is also focused on connecting people and even had discussions on how Facebook is changing social interactions and expectations (Sherry Turkle). We connected Facebook to religion by describing is as a container for the Self. It is a place we are able to showcase our autobiographies.

Finally, we ended on the book titled You are Not a Gadget, by Jaron Lanier. This book explained how the Self and Individualism is becoming a critique of technology and the way we use technology. Lanier touches on his fears of the affects of technology on the Self.

As I mentioned before not only did I learn about all of these companies but I learned about myself. This class brought awareness to my use (and dare I say dependence) of technology and forced me to form my own thoughts and opinions of what I think and how I feel about today's technology and the technology that will arise in the future. I have found my own version of Sheilaism (Sheaism) and stepped outside the bubble of "the norm".