As you know, we are working on two new five-part online training series… Driver’s Training for the Online World and a counterpart for faith communities. They are a comprehensive overview of the online world and outline five future-proof guiding principles for making decisions on what technologies we adopt and how we use them.
In this first video of our five-part Driver’s Training for the Online World series, we reveal the Curtain of Reality and explore the foundational principle lens of Humanity. Let’s take back the driver’s seat and foster human communication and connection.
Watch it free today only! Tomorrow morning the paywall goes up and only paying subscribers will be able to watch and view the follow-up questions.
You’ve watched the video? Here’s more to explore:
Questions to get you thinking/talking:
What stood out to you about Plato’s allegory as we relate it to the online world
How different would today’s world be if we still had dial-up internet access?
In what ways does being online continually help or hurt us?
How does interacting without physical presence change the way we relate to or understand others?
Where does disembodied communication create the most misunderstanding , and where does it outperform in-person interaction?
Why is communication so important to human existence?
Think of a time you realized something online wasn’t as real as it first appeared. What made you see it differently?
When has an online post or message led to offline consequences for you or someone you know, and what did it teach about accountability?
How can we ensure our digital communication builds bridges instead of burning them?
How can we tell when technology is serving humanity—and when humanity is serving technology instead?
With a human-centric principle in mind, are there roles you believe AI should never facilitate?
Pause the video at the 7:27 mark. This is from Meta’s website (captured 10/21/25). How does the video to the left reflect the mission statement to its right?
How do we judge whether or not a platform or program is human-centric?
If algorithms increasingly predict and shape your inputs, what’s your plan to diversify sources and resist echo chambers without disconnecting entirely?
How would you define your “shadow of reality?” What online activities foster human communication and connection? Which ones slide into the void of the online world?
What are offline practices or boundaries that pull you back from the void?
Action Step Ideas:
Now is a good time to log your screen time for a week. The goal is to recognize which online activities point back to the real world, and which ones suck you into the void of the online world.
Resources:
We recommend Android’s Digital Wellbeing or Apple’s Screen Time to track screen time. Both are built-in to devices. On Microsoft devices, you can try Microsoft Family Safety.
