How to Conquer Technology

Episode Description

Facing Loneliness Together

Each episode we share practical insights on living on mission and making an impact as a community. We want to help each other become people who heal rather than harm and build bridges instead of barriers—all for the sake of living on mission as Christ followers. Visit cravingcommunity.com for free resources for your group, team, or organization. This podcast is a resource of the CUPS MISSION. Today we’re diving into loneliness. Loneliness isn’t just about being alone—you can be surrounded by people and still feel unseen. We’ll explore what it is, how technology impacts it, and how it plays out across generations.

Part 1: How Loneliness Is Defined

Loneliness is the gap between the relationships we long for and the ones we actually have. It’s the ache of disconnection, even in a crowded room. Someone can have hundreds of online friends and still feel deeply lonely because it’s about quality, not quantity. Proverbs 18:24: ‘One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother’.

Part 2: Impact of Technology on Loneliness

We’re more digitally connected than ever, but loneliness is at an all-time high. Here are three ways technology can increase loneliness:

• Shallow Substitutes – Social media gives the illusion of connection, but often leaves us emptier. These are “junk food relationships” that don’t nourish the soul.
• Constant Comparison – Highlight reels create insecurity, fueling more isolation instead of authentic connection.
• Digital Distraction – Always-on devices keep us “connected” online but disconnected from those right beside us.

Hebrews 10:24-25: ‘Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together but encouraging one another’. Real encouragement happens face-to-face, not just screen-to-screen.

Part 3: Loneliness Across Generations

Loneliness affects people differently across ages. Older adults often experience it due to retirement, losing a spouse, children moving away, or health challenges that make connection harder. Younger adults may be surrounded by peers yet feel pressured to present a perfect image. Social media magnifies comparison, and frequent moves leave them feeling unrooted. The triggers differ, but the ache is the same: the longing to be seen, known, and loved. God’s heart is that none of us walk through life isolated—whether 18 or 80. Psalm 68:6: ‘God sets the lonely in families’.

Closing

Loneliness isn’t about being alone—it’s about feeling unknown. Technology can give us the illusion of connection, but it often leaves us hungrier for the real thing. Across generations, the challenge looks different, but God’s design is the same: we’re meant for community. Challenge: This week, replace shallow connection with meaningful connection. Call a grandparent. Have coffee with a friend and go deeper. Join a group where you can be honest. Matthew 28:20: ‘Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age’. Even in our loneliest moments, we are never truly alone.