Editor’s Note: Parashah Noach, which includes the story of the Tower of Babel, will be read in synagogues around the world on Saturday, Oct. 24.
By Jeremy Friedman
A vertical construct
making a line
upward to the sky –
the Tower of Babel –
it was meant
to unite all humanity
But before completion
the plan was struck down from above
as different languages emerged
causing people to scatter –
disunity ensued
due to barriers to communication
among diverse nations
That is the Torah story
of the Tower of Babel
Fast forward many centuries
A horizontal construct
encompassing the globe online –
“friends,” “followers,” “likes,”
“news feeds,” all for “free” –
meant to unite all humanity
This construct claims to bring together
people on our fragmented planet –
allowing communication
without barriers
That is today’s story of the genesis
and rise of so-called “social media”
Yet just how “social” is this MEdia?
It creates connections sometimes
but does this come at a larger price?
Does it breed self-absorption,
cultivating and reinforcing
a trend to narcissism?
Does it bring unity,
when it spreads views and “news” –
at times covertly targeted at users –
full of partisan political babble,
aimed to polarize and inflame?
What type of community results
when messages express deep hostility,
in the hate-filled anonymity
that lurks behind electronic screens?
Does all of this just increase
usage statistics and profitability
by getting more clicks –
while society is left more splintered?
Users don’t have to pay bills,
but what do these digital tools truly build?
A new Tower of Babel
but this time with a different outcome?
Or will this plan also unravel?
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Jeremy Friedman is a Los Angeles-based lawyer and poet, who frequently visits family in San Diego. Mr. Friedman’s poetry profile is online at www.PoetLawyerate.blogspot.com.