C'mon! Do you see any jw's preaching on TV? No? Billboards? No? Commercials? No?
Actually, in case you've missed it, they have been doing commercials. I think most of them are online on their media site if you're curious.
And they have made some technological advances. Almost every year I see a new VHS Watchtower video on my dad's shelf. They never had videos when I was in. The online CD library came out after I was out too.
The original Governing Body members as well as other senior people within the organization are dying off and stepping up to the plate may be people who are more open to techology and other new opportunities. I think once the O.G.B.s are all dead and gone, there will be a period of a lot of changes (as has usually happened when a president dies). And I expect those O.G.Bs to all be gone within the next 5 years. Maybe the larger question here is not if and how technology will be used, but if and how the Society will change it's beliefs to make it possible to incorporate change.
So I think a very good point is being made here. Change is possible within the JWs. At the rate technology is being introduced, if the JWs keep up at even 1% of that pace, things will be noticably different 10 years from now.
I don't see eye-to-eye with many of those predictions, but the idea of change makes sense.
Another comment about the internet usage. In today's world, people regard unwanted solicitation as the lowest form of scum. Tying to sell one's product or religion is often met with harsh criticism. I would suspect that for every new techology in the future, some new anti-spam/anti-advert software will try to keep pace. I expect most of what they might try to accomplish would be blocked. And lets face it, even when they do embrace technology, they're rarely on the leading edge. Keeping one step ahead of anti-spam software would be a struggle for them.
And I just can't see them coming to any of the "fun" community places on the net to hang out and starting in with their message without being told to get the hell out. And I couldn't see them offering any sort of attractive online content. Anything with religious overtones (the way the JWs would present it) just doesn't sound cool. The closest might be some sort of escape armageddon game. But the way they'd tone it down, forget about it.
I think 10 years from now, we will be living about the same lives as we are now, just with a little fancier techology. I personally feel the internet was the biggest innovation in the last 50 years because of the way it connected people. Other than that, the technology gets fancier, but our lives are about the same. 30 years ago, kids were carrying around boom-boxes. 20 years ago, kids were listening to Walkmans. Today it's MP3 players that are smaller than the cassette tape that you used to use in those boom boxes and Walkmans. But the action hasn't changed. It's still listening to music.
Even VR is just a combination of computer games and role-playing games of the past. Role playing games like Dungeons and Dragons have been around since the 70's (?). Other fantasy groups pre-date that. And there's always a certain type that goes for that sort of thing and the vast majority who don't. So is that an effective arena to find converts? And when you profile those people who are online, will those people be the kind who would even want a religious lifestyle?
You've also got to look at the demographics. JWs thrive in areas where their is either turmoil or the people are poor and uneducated. People on-line are usually smarter and better educated and have enough disposable income to have a computer and be online. It's less likely these people will become JWs than those who can't even afford a computer.
