EDI TO R I A L UP FRONT GERARD MOLONEY CSsR
MAKING THE MOST OF THE INTERNET
Earlier
this summer, when England lost the Euro 2020 final to Italy on penalties, social media went into overdrive. While most England supporters congratulated their team on getting to the final, others weren't so forgiving. Frustrated that football hadn’t in fact come home, they focused their anger on the players who failed to score. These three players happened to be Black, and each was subjected to horrific racist abuse. One of the downsides of social media is that it brings out the worst in people. We can fire off a tweet or post a comment in the heat of the moment, which we might never do if we had to go to the trouble of writing a letter and buying a stamp. People post anonymous statements who otherwise wouldn't have the courage to express their true feelings in public. Social media facilitates the harassment and bullying of people, as we saw some months ago when a leading newspaper columnist lost his job after he was found to be behind an anonymous Twitter account that attacked those who disagreed with him. Social media has been a boon to racists, xenophobes, and political extremists. Platforms like Facebook and Twitter facilitated the election of Donald Trump and the Brexit vote in the UK. They have become a valuable recruiting tool for terrorist organisations, and have made it easier for pornographers and paedophiles to do business. The big social media companies have developed sophisticated strategies to attract and hold the attention of users. The more time people spend online, the more money these companies make, so they have devised algorithms or addictive techniques that prey on our psychological weaknesses to keep us logged on, to keep us coming back. Experts call this 'brain hacking.' Arguably, social media have done more to drive
people apart than foster a sense of family and community, which Facebook claims is its mission. Anyone who has been the target of the online mob knows how damaging and destructive social media can be. Of course, when used well, social media is a wonderful tool. This was never more apparent than during the COVID-19 lockdown. Apps such as Zoom, Skype and FaceTime enabled schools and businesses to function, families to remain connected, and liturgies to be celebrated. Without the world wide web, classes would have had to be suspended, business activity curtailed, and liturgies abandoned or postponed. Virtual parishes blossomed as people from across the globe discovered liturgies they liked or that were celebrated at a time that suited them. More people tuned into the online Mother of Perpetual Help novena in Limerick this year than attended in person in previous years. Good as its online presence has been, the church still hasn't figured out the best way to use the internet as a tool for evangelisation. At a time when more and more young people (and their parents) have abandoned religion, the COVID-19 lockdown has opened our eyes to the tremendous potential of social media as a way of connecting with people – if only we have the imagination, enthusiasm and resources to do so. What does not help are the very public disputes Catholics are having online. There is a viciousness to the culture wars now being fought on social media as well as in the pews. Those on the 'right' attack those on the 'left' and vice versa. Bishops, some American bishops especially, are not immune. They are not shy about using Twitter or Facebook to attack Catholics with whom they disagree. The vitriol heaped on those deemed to be too soft or too liberal is extraordinary. Pope Francis' tweets are as likely to be attacked by 'defenders of the faith' as by militant atheists.
Jesuit Fr James Martin, interviewed for this issue, is constantly targeted by Catholic trolls upset by his outreach to the LGBTI+ community and others on the margins of the church. Sadly, social media seems better at dividing Catholics rather than uniting them. It has become a scandal. Of course, no matter how well parishes or dioceses engage with social media, the internet can never be a substitute for face -to-face interaction. Online celebrations can never replace in-person liturgies. Virtual congregations are not the same as flesh and blood parish communities gathered as one family round the table of the Lord. Real is always best. Still, the virtual world is going to encroach more and more into our everyday lives. While being aware of its many downsides, we need to harness what's best in it to reach out to as many people as possible. We need to figure out how to make it an optimal tool for evangelisation.
Gerard Molonry CSsR Acting Editor
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