AUTHOR’S NOTE: This is the fifth of The Screwtape “Text Messages” in Today’s AI World. Although the basic C.S. Lewis Screwtape Letters vehicle of communications of a senior demon to an apprentice is retained, I have made a few changes:
The method of communication is text messages instead of letters. The apprentice demon, Wormwood, has been replaced by Phishhook and Screwtape has been replaced by Mephisto, named after a demon from German folklore and Faust. The target to be tempted by the demons is referred to as “The Lostling.” The demons refer to hell as Meta-Dystopia. Finally, there are observations about the text messages from a “good team” fact checker and analyst, Clarion Veridiel.
Following is Mephisto’s text message to Phishhook and Clarion Veridiel’s response.
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TO: Phishhook (101-001-1010) URGENT
FROM: Mephisto
LOSTLING DOSSIER: The target is a 35-year-old married woman. She is a stay-at-home mother whose husband makes a good income as a middle manager in a large corporation—money is not a problem. She has two children, ages 2 and 5. Her child-rearing responsibilities keep her at home most of the time and she sometimes feels lonely and overwhelmed by the demands of her children. She and her husband spend a considerable amount of time watching sports on TV. They have been known to place an occasional small bet on their favorite teams.
Dear Phishhook:
The temptation approach for this Lostling is to encourage dependency on fast solutions and instant gratification. Keep her shopping online and use the ease of making purchases to foster materialism.
Help her to easily satisfy her entertainment needs and encourage forming surface-level relationships. Here are four temptations you are directed to implement.
- Help her to form superficial relationships. She doesn’t get out much with friends, so let’s help her to establish relationships on our terms. Encourage her to make new friends online. There are generic platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Reddit. Other options are friendship apps such as Friender and virtual pen pal services like Bottled. She may find some positive relationships, but even these can work to our advantage if they induce her to excess screen time and to neglect real-life relationships and responsibilities. Best of all, we have our demons lurking online who are well-practiced in inflicting emotional distress.
- Make sure the Lostling and her husband subscribe to a wide range of streaming services. The strategy is that streaming provides the instant gratification we are striving for. Everything is constantly and insatiably available. No longer will they complain that there is “nothing good on TV tonight.” In fact, the huge number of options may cause conflicts in deciding what to watch. Cause them to be frustrated because some of most interesting movies and series are on streaming services they don’t subscribe to.
- She and her husband’s interest in watching sports on TV and willingness to make an infrequent small bet seem harmless, but we can change that and maybe even create an addiction. What I have in mind is to introduce them to sports micro betting. Rather than betting on the outcome of a game before it is played and having to wait hours or even days for the outcome, micro bets are placed in real time and provide instant gratification (or regret). And it requires them to be on their phones even while they are watching TV.Pay attention as I educate your ignorance with a simple example. Let’s suppose they are watching their beloved Denver Broncos play the Kansas City Chiefs. Instead of making a single bet on the ultimate outcome, they will have dozens of opportunities to micro bet in real time and know the outcome in a matter of minutes or even seconds. They could bet on who will make the next score and will it be a touchdown or a field goal. They could place a wager on whether the next play will be a run or a pass or maybe even what the next penalty will be.Why am I so enthralled with this form of gambling? Micro betting sites make it difficult to stop betting by offering credit and bonus bets and providing a personal virtual bookie to provide encouragement and facilitate more action. Also enticing for our purposes is that the individual bets involve a few dollars and there is immediate feedback on the results, so they create instant gratification. Often, micro betters get so caught up in making their small bets that they forget their gambling inhibitions. It’s as if they are almost part of the actual game. That’s a great feeling for an aging high school football player “wanna be.”
- We need to take advantage of the periodic frustrations caused by her active children. Emphasize that her needs also should be met and that the children should learn to entertain themselves. There are a myriad of electronic devices she can buy that will occupy children for hours. Money is not an issue so she should be encouraged to spend freely and without guilt because all her choices claim they have significant educational value. As such, there is no need to limit the children’s screen time.Suggest that she boast a bit to others that her children are bright because they adapted to technology so quickly. There may be secondary benefits for us by hooking her children on screens at such an early age. Ideally, they will bring their devices to dinner and other family activities and eventually migrate to digital devices that are even more addictive.
Your ambivalent file leader: Mephisto
TO: CK (110-111-1000)
FROM: Clarion Veridiel
Mephisto’s temptations are dangerous. His encouragement of instant gratification is the opposite of President Russell M. Nelsons challenge for church members to “Think celestial.” Lost to history is the author of the sage quote, “The things that give us instant gratification are like sugar. They taste good now, but they rot your teeth.” Church leaders have consistently and clearly warned of the dangers of pursuing instant gratification.
We must learn to say no to the things that will give us instant gratification but will ultimately
lead us astray. Russell M. Nelson
We live in a world of instant gratification, where everything is available at the touch of a button. But the things that are truly worthwhile in life require time and effort. Henry G. Eyring
Your loving servant: Clarion Veridiel
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AUTHOR’S NOTE: Online shopping has significant advantages. The array of available items is vast on sites such as Amazon and purchases can be made with the click of a key. Consumers don’t have to leave their chairs, and the product will be delivered to their doorstep in as little as one day. If the account is set up properly, the buyer doesn’t even have to touch their credit card. Helpful information about the product is provided, and purchaser ratings are available to help assess quality.
A variant is shopping channels on TV. They require a little more effort to complete the purchase but provide a more personal experience. Both options are designed to entice people to buy more than they otherwise would, and both provide a degree of instant gratification. In fact, the buying experience may be as satisfying as owning the actual product, especially for those who are confined to their homes.
I had an acquaintance who spent hours watching home shopping channels. Sometimes she would make multiple purchases of the same item. When she passed away a few years ago, her home was literally stacked to the ceilings with thousands of things she bought over the years; it literally took months for relatives to sort out and dispose of her purchases A friend asked why she spent all of her time on QVC and she indignantly replied that she didn’t spend all her time on QVC, she also patronized the Home Shopping Network. These channels were a huge component of her world.
The sixth Screwtape “Text Messages” will consider how online activities can result in being desensitized to sin.
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If you found this message insightful, explore the rest of the Screwtape Text Messages series below for more behind-the-scenes strategies from the adversary in today’s digital world.
12. Help, I’ve Been Abducted by AI (Alien Intelligence)
11. Trading Religion for Politics
9. Superscams, Fake News, and the Korihor Effect
8. Strategies for Tempting Teens, Girls and Boys
7. Virtual Validation, Cancer Culture, and Cyberbullying
5. Instant Online Gratification
4. Digital Distractions Away from God
1. The FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) Crisis
