Her

Is technology good or evil?
Is a hammer good or evil?

Considering that a hammer represents a technological advancement, I believe that these two questions are the same.  Cutting to the chase; I contend that technology cannot be evil, it depends completely on how man uses it.  Spike Jonze new film her strips away all the flash and glamour of technology, and focuses directly on one man's relationship with ones and zeros.   Joaquin Phoenix plays a lonely thirtysomething professional on the verge of divorce, who finds companionship with his new operating system.  While I imagine that many may find this concept far-fetched, let me suggest that Spike Jonze is addressing an issue which is far too real.  Our relationships with technology are stealing from our relationships with each other.  Yes, I recognize the irony as I type these words on a computer keyboard instead of saying them directly to you... 

Phoenix's character installs his new operating system in a way that is familiar to many of us; he waits patiently for the software to update and answers a few semi-personal questions along the way.  Then a friendly voice addresses him, striking-up a conversation.  He asks it the same questions I would have asked, and doesn't quite know how to process the answers.  It is a feminine voice that emits from the computer, so it's a her, right?  She expresses concern, interest, and even gets upset towards him.  Initially he knows that she's "just a program", but she's so well written that the illusion begins to take hold.  Before long he has fallen in love with her, and joy seems to have returned. 

I received a Japanese insulated coffee cup for my birthday just over a year ago.  This cup keeps my coffee hot all day, it's truly a technological marvel.  I know that if I were to loose it, I would truly miss it (please note that I haven't digressed to the point of calling my coffee cup "her" yet).  Where is the line?  I don't worship my coffee cup.  I'm not "in love" with my coffee cup, but I certainly hold it in high esteem. 

Is it alright to talk to Siri disrespectfully just because she is  synthetic?  Is it alright to be polite to Siri even though she's synthetic?  These are the kinds of questions which her has prompted me to ask.

I don't think that Spike Jonze set out to criticize society for utilizing technology, rather he is nudging us to examine how we use it.  I am pretty sure that Jonze and I would disagree on why this is important.  I believe that we should be looking to God; through the Bible and those who have been given wisdom, to guide our relationships.  Not to get overly semantical, but we have relationships with just about everything around us, from a hammer to a wife and everything in-between.   Obviously, if we want to get the relationships right, we're going to need a lot of help.