Infinite Bandwidth: Encountering Christ in the Media

by Eugene Gan

Publisher:

Emmaus Road

, 2010

Overview

Eugene Gan navigates you faithfully through the digital world, encouraging frustrated parents not to throw out cell phones, ban the internet, chuck computers, or pitch portable media devices. That would be a mistake and—believe it or not—would be going against more than seven decades of Catholic teaching. From Church documents on social communications, Gan extracts seven principles or “media keys” of how to approach and use media. The Church—and Gan—say that we must enter into the modern day “Areopagus,” the social and intellectual hub of ancient Athens where Paul preached to pagans, and use the media tools God has given us to make truth known and serve mankind.

Gan offers chapter after chapter of real-life experience of how to assess movies, games, and gadgets for you and your teens, of how to judge the merits of a film like Saving Private Ryan, and what sets it apart from Nightmare on Elm Street. Can one be acceptable viewing and the other not? Definitely. And Gan details why. Infinite Bandwidth: Encountering Christ in the Media is way out front of the newest gizmo—and will stay there—thanks to its timeless principles that can be applied in all digital terrain, present and future. Parents, educators, and students will put this book down with an entirely different attitude about the relationship between faith and media use.

In the Logos edition, this volume is enhanced by amazing functionality. Important terms link to dictionaries, encyclopedias, and a wealth of other resources in your digital library. Perform powerful searches to find exactly what you’re looking for. Take the discussion with you using tablet and mobile apps. With your software, the most efficient and comprehensive research tools are in one place, so you get the most out of your study.

Key Features

• Connects solid Catholic teaching to media management in today’s culture
• Offers practical tools for assessing media options for your family
• Explains why some media is important and how to discern what is helpful and what is harmful

Contents

• Googling with God: A Catholic Approach to Media
• The Media Landscape: A Bird’s Eye View of Our Digital World
• The First Media Key: Balance
• The Second Media Key: Attitude Awareness
• The Third Media Key: The Dignity of the Human Person
• The Fourth Media Key: Truth-Filled
• The Fifth Media Key: Inspiring
• The Sixth Media Key: Skillfully Developed
• The Seventh Media Key: Motivated by and Relevant to Experience
• Conclusion: Without Fear

Praise for the Print Edition

Frankly, I wish that such a book had existed when I was president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications as a text which I could have recommended. The important thing, however, is that it exists now to provide text, context, and challenge for those who wish to bring both Christian principles and professional excellence to their work in the media.

—Cardinal John Patrick Foley

Even when disagreeing with Gan’s assessments, the reader benefits by being invited to think more deeply about the media under discussion. Excellent for individual use, this volume would work even better in a group setting. This is a great reading group book for parents who are concerned about their children’s (and their own) use of media. This would also be useful to teachers at all levels. It could be a textbook, but it certainly should be a reference book. It would apply well to religious and communication studies. While Infinite Bandwidth obviously has a strong Catholic influence, it would be valuable to anyone who is concerned about the impact of media on themselves and their loved ones. Additionally, those who want to engage the culture and impact it positively would benefit from this book.

—The National Catholic Register

Product Details

• Title: Infinite Bandwidth: Encountering Christ in the Media
• Author: Eugene Gan
• Publisher: Emmaus Road
• Print Publication Date: 2010
• Logos Release Date: 2014
• Pages: 144
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subjects: Catholic Church › Doctrines; Communication › Religious aspects--Catholic Church; Mass media › Religious aspects--Catholic Church; Church and mass media
• ISBNs: 9781931018678, 1931018677
• Resource ID: LLS:NFNTBNDWDTHNCNT
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2024-03-25T20:26:26Z

About Eugene Gan

Eugene Gan was born in Singapore, the only child of Catholic parents. He attended Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and graduated in 1994 with a BS in electrical and computer engineering. He earned his MA in Duquesne’s multimedia technology program and taught courses at Duquesne University’s graduate school. Gan received his PhD in education, instructional technology from Duquesne University. He currently is an associate professor of interactive media, communications at Franciscan University of Steubenville, and helped launch the University’s multimedia concentration. An expert on many aspects of new media technology, Gan has written, produced, and designed multimedia productions for numerous clients. He has also written articles for the Pontifical Council of Social Communication and the Pontifical Council for Culture.