Is it in the spirit of “hatzneia leches im Elokecha” to broadcast to the world what we ate for breakfast?
My brother once conjectured that the frum world uses WhatsApp much more than the non-Jewish market. And while, as far as I know, there are no scientific studies on the matter, it’s probably safe to assume that my very affable mailman doesn’t belong to as many WhatsApp group chats as many of us do. Four (okay, twelve) different shul chats, five carpool chats, seven or eight family chats (some with the in-laws, some without), and chesed chats.
There’s the matzah–baking chaburah chat, bungalow colony chats, and the Tehillim chats. And let’s not forget the dormant chats, usually created for a very specific niche purpose, that end up becoming obsolete very quickly.
While there are beautiful communities that are very careful to avoid any form of smartphone usage, the fact is, much of the frum world is using them. And it’s not just professionals and working people. I’m certainly not qualified to discuss the risks posed by these devices, and I won’t. Erliche Yidden the world over continue these discussions and look to their respective rabbanim for guidance.
Smartphone users in the Torah community are perpetually making a risk-reward analysis: Productivity versus Distraction. Chatting versus Children. Real-Life Memories versus Fleeting Megabytes.
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