Deus Ex Machina

Abstract

How have technologies and the larger media world altered our experiences of the sacred? This question formed the theme of the ninth annual convention of the Media Ecology Association (MEA) held at Santa Clara University this past June. The Media Ecology Association is a gathering of scholars, artists, and fellow travelers who nurture a unique perspective of the study of culture, technology, and communication. This year's event was coordinated by Paul Soukup, SJ, of Santa Clara University, and Ann Pym of California State University East Bay. Though the avowed religious affiliation of MEA members spans all denominations, it is not surprising that this year's convention was sponsored by Santa Clara University, a Jesuit, institution. The Jesuits have long had a pronounced influence on Media Ecology scholarship, from Marshall McLuhan's early days at Fordham University in New York City (currently home to a notable gathering of Media Ecology scholars) to Walter J. Ong's long tenure at St. Louis University in Missouri. Ecological considerations have so deeply penetrated the public psyche that even the recent Simpsons Movie (2007, by David Silverman) centered on an ecological theme, as Everyman Homer gives Lake Springfield a final push into toxicity by dumping spider pig waste illegally. While it is relatively easy to think of a rainforest or a tidal marshland as an ecosystem, it is more difficult to apply ecological analogies to study of the impact of media and technology on human culture. Members of the MEA actively pursue inquiries into these areas and meet once yearly to share their discoveries. In focusing on the relationship of communication media and the sacred, this year's participants presented papers on themes ranging from the relationship between Leonardo da Vinci and the Roman Catholic Church, to discussions of theology in the digital age. Just as a hammer is an extension of the hand, and the wheel is an extension of the foot, notions of divinity are extensions of our own self-images, and often these extensions are influenced by the biases of the particular medium of communication that dominates the culture. In his President's Address, Lance Strate called attention to how the adoption of a phonetic alphabet changed notions of the divine: The Hebrew alphabet opened the door to increasingly more abstract forms of thought, making it possible to move away from concrete deities existing in nature to the concept of a singular transcendent God who is all powerful, all knowing, and omnipresent, the ultimate abstraction . …