Social media – the never-ending love-hate relationship of a tool that’s ingrained itself into our daily life. It’s fascinating to me, watching how the modes of communication and marketing have shifted from the physical to the digital landscape. We’re truly witnessing a changing of an age, and as a diocesan Catholic communicator, my role in the Curial Office of Communications is to track how the modes of shifting communication can be harnessed to showcase the life of the Gospel.
The rise of social media has allowed communicators to study what news sticks, what trends take off, and ultimately what type of content shared captures the most attention. These insights reflect what is most prevalent on the minds and hearts of those following your platforms. As a resident Catholic communicator, I possess the opportunity to monitor the attention of those following our page, a majority of which are the lay faithful in the diocese. As I’ve tracked social media posts, analytics and trends over the last year, I can’t help but notice what followers react to, comment and share.
Two areas stand out when looking at the top posts across our channels for the last year: religious life and feast days.
Three of our top seven posts for Instagram, Facebook and YouTube have to do with those living out the vocation of religious life.
Among the posts are:
Priest convocation = 76,000 views
Bishop Earl Fernandes meeting Pope Leo XVI = 63,295 views
Priest passing away = 39,343 views
Marian Gathering of religious women communities = 18,672 views
The many priest installations that took place throughout the fall ranked among the highest posts as well.
Why are we drawn to religious life? We are drawn to the life of Jesus Christ. Viewing those in religious life, whether it’s the witness of priests or religious sisters, is viewing lives given totally to Jesus and His Church, and that captivates us.
Why? We are captivated by the Divine, whether we are aware of it or not. We are drawn by the transcendentals of truth, beauty and goodness, and religious life encompasses all of these into one, emanating the beauty of the Church and, ultimately, life with Jesus Christ. Seeing something so pure and holy as those living out a religious vocation, it speaks to our hearts because they are signs of the hope of heaven. They reflect what we are all striving for, to the point that they give their very lives to help others get there.
Why are we drawn to feast days? Saints attract. We need role models in the Catholic faith, those we can look to for intercession and aid because of their virtuous life. Saints were just like you and me, making daily efforts to follow where the Lord led them and to striving to grow in virtue. They are heaven’s advocates for us as we progress through our earthly pilgrimage.
Notice a theme here? Purity and virtue running through the trends of what grabs our attention. Who happens to be the Creator of all things pure and virtuous? The Divine Creator Himself, our Lord. It’s as though we were made to be like the Creator, and actually secretly desire to be. Subconsciously, our hearts are telling us and it’s being executed through our actions on social media.
As a Church, we have a great opportunity in front of us. Social media can be used as a prime way of evangelization. We are able to reach others in ways we’ve never been able to, especially those that need it the most. Catholic content is on the rise and millions are following. There is hope, and there is hope in the trends as well.
“In fact, the question is no longer whether to engage with the digital world, but how. Social media in particular is an environment where people interact, share experiences, and cultivate relationships unlike ever before,” Dr. Paolo Ruffini, prefect for the Dicastery of Communication, wrote in Towards Full Presence – A Pastoral Reflection on Engagement with Social Media.
Engaging with social media as the Church has become less of an option, and more of a necessity. The world has a new way of encountering Christ in the digital landscape, and we must take advantage of it. Using the attractiveness of truth, beauty and goodness that our Church possesses, we need to capture the heart of the Gospel to stop the scroll of the lost sheep.
May the Lord bless us in the digital age!