Version 2.0: The Digital Story of the Nativity

I found this Youtube video not long ago (but already after Christmas, shucks) just by reviewing the currently popular videos on the Youtube homepage. I was surprised at how spot-on all of the uses of modern social media were; in the end, the variety of social media options available today enabled the story of the Nativity to be told completely with technology. This story (at least this version of the story) exists solely because of social media’s relevance today, and it loses all of its irony and the ensuing humor when the story is removed from its vehicle of online communication. The very fact that someone was able to tell the story of the Nativity using only digital methods is immediately intriguing, as the Nativity story has (to my knowledge) never before been communicated through modern social media technology—and solely through modern social media at that. The portrayal of the Christmas story using digital methods creates an ironic juxtaposition of images and story because we as viewers do not expect Mary and Joseph to be quite so tech savvy and constantly jacked into the web.

Of course, this story’s main plot elements are derived from the story as it is contained in the Bible, but not a single book is to be found in the video; instead, Facebook, Twitter, Google searches, iPhones and similar technologies help Mary and Joseph, and later the Wise Men, navigate to their desired destinations and make the proper preparations (cheap gold on Amazon, anyone?) for the birth of Christ. The usage of online networking adds a lightness to the story that otherwise might not be there, and the creators use clever aspects of social media (like “following” and “liking”) to produce humorous results. The humor of the piece makes it easier for the viewers to digest the intent of the video without feeling like they’ve been smacked in the face by some Christian message. The video uses this medium to not take itself too seriously, which opens the message of the Christmas season to a wider audience than it might otherwise reach, and that’s an admirable accomplishment. By the end of this video, its emphasis is made clear by two short lines of text, explaining that although times change, feelings stay the same. I think the video creators wanted to highlight the spirit of the Christmas season, along with the emphasis on togetherness that goes along with that, as well as encourage viewers to continue using digital solutions, 'cause golly, if Mary and Joseph do it--and the Archangel Gabriel too!--then it must be right for all of us.