Author: Doug Smith
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Just Ask Your Mom: A Fun and Important Podcast
I had a delightful conversation with Renee Sproles and Bonnie Blaylock on their Just Ask Your Mom podcast. They are “two Southern moms on the backside of raising kids. They have 4 kids, over 50 years of marriage, and 40 years of parenting mistakes, successes, and experience between them.” Renee and Bonnie asked questions every…
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Does Social Media Help or Hinder Discipleship? Responding to the Brady Shearer Critique
This past week, the rock-star digital media strategist Brady Shearer published a YouTube critique of my interview with Preston Sprinkle. He has 54k Instagram followers, 97k TikTok followers, and 134k YouTube subscribers. He’s super-smart and well-spoken. I’m grateful for a dialog with someone so accomplished. This is an in-depth and important conversation, so it’s long.…
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Screen-Free Family Dinners: A Matter of Life and Death?
I’m far from a perfect parent. I have many regrets — things I wish I could do over. But here’s one thing I’m proud of: we made screen-free family dinners a priority. Besides praying together (nearly) every night, I believe this is one of the main reasons I still have a great relationship with my…
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How Social Media and Screens Have Hijacked Our Hearts and Minds: The Preston Sprinkle Interview
If you haven’t listened to the Theology in the Raw podcast with Preston Sprinkle, you’re missing some of the most thoughtful and engaging conversations. Preston’s motto is “love widely, and think deeply.” He’s a Bible scholar par excellence, but his obvious love of people with diverse belief systems makes him unusually engaging and winsome. I’ve…
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TikTok Wins By Hoarding Data, but Is Privacy The Real Concern?
TikTok is winning. Dominating. Conquering. But what game are they playing? There’s no doubt that TikTok’s copycat competitors are intimidated by the winner. That’s why Instagram added “Reels” that feel just like TikTok. And YouTube recently added “Shorts” for the same reason. If two of the biggest Big Tech companies are dancing to TikTok’s beat,…
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The Secret Scheme of Screens, and How To Sever Big Tech’s Strings, with Mind Matters News
I’ve been a long-time fan of Discovery Institute’s Center for Science and Culture. Their cutting-edge Walter Bradley Center for Natural and Artificial Intelligence publishes some of the best content on these subjects through their articles and podcast. I’ve learned so much from them over the years. So what a joy it was for me to…
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How To Overcome Deceptively Effective Screens With The Covenant Eyes Podcast
A decades+ dream came true as I joined the Covenant Eyes podcast this week. I’ve recommended Covenant Eyes for years, since I believe so strongly in their mission to help people overcome pornography. This podcast is about much more than that, though: it’s about understanding how to become more intentional with your life so that…
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Healthy Screen Use with Nathan Sutherland of GospelTech.net
Nathan Sutherland and I had a great conversation on his GospelTech podcast. Nathan and his wife Anna are doing a really important work: helping families navigate our screen-saturated world with a focus on the Gospel of Christ. We offer hope for parents who are willing to be more intentional with their families than today’s most…
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If the App is Free, Are We the Product, Sold Like a Human Slave?
Last fall, in the five minutes a week I spend on Facebook, I shared a provocative idea. It raised a question, a push-back, even a disagreement. Take a look: I’m grateful for Greg’s push-back, as it inspired this (long delayed) post. I don’t debate on social media, but I welcome debate in blog comments. As…
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An Inspiring Conversation with Eric Rutherford
I’m grateful to Eric Rutherford for the inspiring conversation on his Entrusting The Faith podcast. He has a wonderful heart for families, and works hard to equip parents with the tools they need to disciple their kids in a challenging world. I found his questions insightful and his analysis and summary at the end especially…