22 minute read
EDITORIAL
UP FRONT
GERARD MOLONEY CSsR
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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.
SOCIAL MEDIA
AND THE IMPORTANCE OF DIALOGUE
NOTWITHSTANDING ITS DOWNSIDES, THE DIGITAL WORLD OFFERS GREAT POTENTIAL AS A MEAN OF EVANGELISATION AND OF BUILDING COMMUNITY BY TRÍONA DOHERTY
In the Gospel of John, when the first disciples ask Jesus where he is staying, he invites them to "come and see." They stay with him for the day, getting to know him. The disciple Philip then extends the offer to his friend Nathaniel: "We have found him… Come and see." Later, the Samaritan woman who encounters Jesus at the well issues the same invitation to others. With these simple words, people are invited into relationship with Jesus. "Come and see" was the theme for the 2021 World Communications Day. In his message for the occasion, Pope Francis talked about how these words of Jesus serve as "an inspiration for all communication that strives to be clear and honest, in the press, on the internet, in the church's daily preaching and in political or social communication." Rather than making assumptions about others, we are to go and "see them for ourselves, to spend time with people, to listen to their stories and to confront reality, which always in some way surprises us."
It is more than 30 years since the world wide web came into being. During that time, the online world has revolutionised how we obtain information, communicate, do business, learn and socialise. It is hard to believe that social media platforms Facebook and Twitter were launched just 17 years and 14 years ago respectively. Instagram is 11 years old, and TikTok a mere five. Yet, for so many, these sites are an integral part of life. Almost 4.5 billion people worldwide are social media users, connecting with others all over the world at the tap of a phone screen. Social media is still in its infancy. It is hugely challenging to keep up with an area that evolves so rapidly. In a sense, our human behaviour is always a step behind the advances in communication. The 'rulebook' is not yet clear, and we are only beginning to talk about the ethics and responsibilities of this mode of communication. The church, too, has begun to engage with this challenge. Pope Francis often speaks about social media, noting, "It is not technology that determines whether or not communication is authentic, but rather the human heart
and our capacity to use wisely the means at our disposal." His 2020 encyclical Fratelli Tutti addressed many aspects of the digital environment. The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference released an excellent statement in 2019 entitled Making it Real: Genuine human encounter in our digital world, and earlier this year, Archbishop Eamon Martin issued 'Ten tips for engaging on the digital highway,' encouraging people to use the internet to "establish connections and build communion."
'TWO-EDGED SWORD'
Social media has brought many benefits. It allows people to stay connected with family and friends over great distances, and to make new acquaintances. Online platforms connect people with similar interests, allowing us to share information, explore ideas and engage in debate. Social media also can call communities to action in the face of humanitarian crises and natural disasters. Movements such as #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter that had their roots in social media have been instrumental in highlighting issues of injustice and promoting solidarity.
During the pandemic, social media played an important role in alleviating isolation. It was warmly embraced by parish communities, who used tools such as Facebook Live to allow people to participate in Masses and other services. As virtual congregations welcomed people from a variety of geographical settings, there was a renewed sense of the 'universal' church.
Parish priest of Abbeyleix, Co Laois, Fr Paddy Byrne, was one of social media's 'early adopters,' and he continues to use both Twitter and Facebook in his ministry. "Social media is part and parcel of culture. It has huge potential and it has enhanced my ministry by allowing me to reach out to a wide circle of people," he says. "During Covid in particular, I tried to communicate a message of hope via the parish webcam and a daily message on Facebook Live. I don't believe for a minute that faith is dead in Ireland – belief in the institution perhaps, but overall belief is still strong and powerful."
Arising from his positive experiences online, Fr Byrne says the church needs to work on how it approaches social media. "As a church we need to be more honest and real. Social media posts can often be superficial; we shouldn't be tweeting about what we are doing – 'I'm on the way to bless a well,' for example – but about real-life issues. As church, our voice is relevant and we have lots of good things to say about justice and about life. Tweeting to a very small group of like-minded people and getting 'likes and shares' – God's Kingdom is bigger than that."
Dr Suzanne Mulligan, lecturer in theology at St Patrick's College Maynooth, says that social media offers an extraordinary opportunity for access to knowledge. "Social media is a very broad term, and we cannot say it is either universally good or bad. It can be used in a very positive way as a source of important information for people. We in Ireland live in a culture that is very open; we have huge freedoms that we often take for granted. But for many people around the world, social media is a vital source of information, particularly for those living under regimes where freedom of information is suppressed. "And social media has a role to play in holding individuals, governments and organisations to account. It is not the same as a one-to-one conversation but it is still a conversation of sorts, and is a way of getting information out."
SOCIAL MEDIA PRAYER Christ has no online presence but yours No blog, no Facebook page but yours, Yours are the tweets through which love touches the world, Yours are the posts through which the Gospel is shared, Yours are the updates through which hope is revealed. Christ has no online presence but yours, No blog, no Facebook page but yours.
Meredith Gould in The Social Media Gospel: Sharing the Good News in New Ways
However, for all its potential for good, the online world can be a place of loneliness, exploitation and intimidation. Author Fr James Martin SJ, who has a prominent presence on social media, describes social media as "the classic two-edged sword." The downsides are well documented. Cyberbullying in the form of offensive comments, abusive messages and spreading rumours is widespread. Young people are especially vulnerable, and the impact on mental health can be devastating. In addition, platforms such as Twitter and Facebook can be used to spread misinformation and lies, an issue that came to the fore during the 2016 and 2020 US presidential elections. "Fake news and propaganda are nothing new," says Dr Mulligan. "But thanks to social media, fake news can circulate more quickly and to a greater audience. And with the pace at which technology is developing, governments and social media organisations are playing catch-up when it comes to hate speech, racist remarks, homophobic sentiment, and so on. "Social media can be one tool utilised to inform ourselves about an issue. But we have to be savvy and not take things at face value, just as we wouldn't with something reported in a newspaper or on TV. We must think critically about what we read or hear."
Pope Francis develops this point in Fratelli Tutti, remarking, "True wisdom demands an encounter with reality. Today, however, everything can be created, disguised and altered… Things that until a few years ago could not be said by anyone without risking the loss of universal respect can now be said with impunity, and in the crudest of terms, even by some political figures."
'ECHO CHAMBER'
An 'echo chamber' refers to an online environment where we only encounter information or opinions that reflect and reinforce our own. In the social media world, we can choose the people with whom we wish to interact. We 'follow' individuals and media outlets whose views we approve of, and we have the power to 'block' anyone we find disagreeable. Our online patterns allow computer algorithms to target us with more and more material, so we encounter more of the same. The danger of these 'echo chambers', or 'closed circuits' as Pope Francis calls them, is that we become shielded from debate and isolated from the real world. Without necessarily being aware of it, users are pushed to more concentrated and extreme positions. The content they encounter appeals to social prejudices and exploits emotions such as frustration and anxiety. Clearly, this process does not encourage healthy discussion.
British Rabbi Jonathan Sacks reflected on this idea in his 2017 TED Talk, 'How we can face the future without fear, together.' In it, he highlights the danger of social media in reinforcing our biases about others: "The trouble with Google filters, Facebook friends and reading the news by narrowcasting rather than broadcasting means that we're surrounded almost entirely by people like us whose views, whose opinions, whose prejudices, even, are just like ours… if we surround ourselves with people with the same views as us, we get more extreme. I think we need to renew those face-to-face On social media you don't have to deal with the responses or consequences of what you have said. There is no accountability; you can walk away and don't have to see the hurt or the damage caused by your remarks
encounters with the people not like us. I think we need to do that in order to realise that we can disagree strongly and yet still stay friends. It's in those face-to-face encounters that we discover that the people not like us are just people, like us."
WHAT KIND OF DIGITAL HIGHWAY?
Far too often, the digital world can bring out the worst in people. Topics become divided into dramatically opposing views, and everyone must pick a side – right or left, liberal or conservative, pro-life or pro-choice. Insults are traded, and anyone on the 'other side' of an argument is labelled as deluded, stupid or worse. Dr Mulligan notes that the comment sections on social media have given everyone an outlet for their opinion. "Every 'Joe Soap' has a comment, and this is presented alongside expert opinions. It allows people to say things in a way that is more remote and distant than were they sitting in a room with someone, and this adds to the sometimes toxic nature of social media," she says. "If you give an opinion in person you have to defend it there and then, but on social media you don't have to deal with the responses or consequences of what you have said. There is no accountability; you can walk away and don't have to see the hurt or the damage caused by your remarks."
The Australian bishops warn that online relationships can become "inhuman" as digital spaces have a way of blinding us to the vulnerability of others. "The fundamental question is whether we will choose to use digital technology to make faceless, nameless and soulless the human beings on the other side of our devices or whether we will choose to authentically encounter and honour their humanity, and our own," they say. "A vital step to realising this encounter is to ask ourselves what kind of 'digital highway' we are on. Just as we would not accept a highway built of rubble, that leads us nowhere we want to go, so too we cannot accept a digital world designed to exploit our weaknesses and bring out the worst in people."
Regrettably, this assessment can be as true of Christian and Catholic social media as it is of other arenas. In many ways, the church has embraced the digital realm as a forum for evangelisation and the promotion of justice and peace. Yet behaviours that go against these values are often evident in online spaces that represent religious news outlets or communities. Heated debate tends to concentrate on 'hot button issues' such as abortion or questions around relationships and sexuality. Topics such as immigration, world hunger or the death penalty do not provoke the same response, though they are equally important and integral to the Christian life. The manner in which questions and alternative views are shot down or scoffed at is alarming. A version of the remark 'If you don't like it, you know where the door is' appears in countless exchanges on Catholic sites. This lack of compassion detracts from the fraternity and solidarity demanded by our Christian faith.
Archbishop Eamon Martin warns that this "scandal of disunity" among Christians can be exploited or exaggerated. "Therefore, we must seek to share resources so that we can have a powerful Gospel witness. Wouldn't it be wonderful if people started noticing online: 'See how these Christians love one another'," he suggests.
Instead, as Fr James Martin reports, people are more likely to lament, "See how they shove one another."
'OUR DIGITAL COMMON HOME'
Society is beginning to ask questions about how we use technology and to recognise the damage that its abuse can do. Legislators are developing regulatory controls and examining the responsibility of the organisations that provide our social media platforms. All of this is positive. In addition to these broader tasks, everyone who inhabits the digital world has a role in building 'online neighbourhoods' that promote genuine human encounter. Christians have a particular responsibility to espouse an attitude of openness, welcome, warmth and patience in all our online activities, embracing the dignity of every person with whom they come into contact.
It is difficult to say whether social media is the best place for what Pope Francis terms a "culture of encounter." While it can be a powerful tool for fostering friendships and strengthening community, social media interaction is not a substitute for face-to-face gatherings and the daily sharing of life. Meeting and listening to people who are different from us can be a more effective way to break down stereotypes. "Social media is not everything," says Fr Paddy Byrne. "Our faith is incarnational; it is about the physicality of encounter. Nothing can compare to empathetic listening, meeting for a cup of coffee or gathering at the Lord's Table for Eucharist."
Notwithstanding, there is great potential for the digital world to be an environment rich in humanity – in the words of Pope Francis, "a network not of wires but of people": "Every tool has its value, and that great communicator who was Paul of Tarsus would certainly have made use of email and social messaging. Yet it was his faith, hope and charity that impressed those of his contemporaries who heard him preach or had the good fortune to spend time with him. For two millennia, a chain of such encounters has communicated the attractiveness of the Christian adventure. The challenge that awaits us, then, is to communicate by encountering people, where they are and as they are." (Pope Francis, message for World Communications Day 2021)
1. Be positive and joyful. Offer 'digital smiles' and have a sense of humour. Remember that it is the 'joy of the Gospel' that we are communicating, so, as Pope Francis says: no 'funeral faces' or 'sourpusses'!
2. Strictly avoid aggression and 'preachiness' online; try not to be judgemental or polemical – goodness knows, there is enough of this online already! Instead, try Pope Francis' approach of 'tenderness and balm'.
3. Never bear false witness on the internet.
4. Remember 'Ubi caritas et amor.' Fill the internet with charity and love, always giving rather than taking. Continually seek to broaden and reframe discussions and seek to include a sense of charity and solidarity with the suffering in the world.
5. Have a broad back when criticisms and insults are made – when possible, gently correct.
6. Pray in the digital world! Establish sacred spaces, opportunities for stillness, reflection and meditation online.
7. Establish connections, relationships and build communion. Church has always been about 'gathering.' In this, it is worth considering an ecumenical presence for the Christian churches online. The internet tends to be a place of ethical and intellectual relativism, and often of aggressive secularism. The scandal of disunity among Christians can be easily exploited and exaggerated. Therefore, we must seek to share resources so that we can have a powerful Gospel witness. Wouldn't it be wonderful if people started noticing online: 'See how these Christians love one another'?
8. Educate our young to keep themselves safe and to use the internet responsibly.
9. Witness to human dignity at all times online. Seek, as Pope Benedict once said, to 'give a soul to the internet.' We are well aware of the pervasive prevalence of pornography on the internet which can 'pollute the spirit', destroy and degrade human sexuality and relationships, reduce persons to objects for gratification, draw millions into the commodification and commercialisation of sex, feed the monster that is human trafficking.
10. Be missionary, be aware that with the help of the internet, a message has the potential to reach the ends of the earth in seconds. In this regard, let us foster and call forth charisms in younger committed people who understand the power and potential of the net to bear witness.
www.catholicbishops.ie/2021/05/06/resources-for-world-communicationsday-2021/
As someone who is active on social media, do you find it useful in terms of evangelising and building community?
Social media is the classic two-edged sword. On the one hand, it can promote a world of superficiality, misinformation and anonymity. And that last attribute – anonymity – can, in turn, promote hateful comments and vicious attacks. On the other hand, it's a great way to share information, engage people with new ideas and even build community. Since the pandemic began, for example, I've been doing a faith-sharing event on Facebook Live (that is, streaming live on my Facebook page) every Friday. Five hundred or so people (twice as many during the height of the pandemic) gather to reflect on the Gospel reading for the coming Sunday, and share their insights. And, to my great surprise, it's become a real community, with people knowing one another and praying for one another. That's been a complete surprise.
You've been subject to abuse on social media for your ministry with LGBTQ+ people. Where does the negativity come from, and how do you handle it?
Most of the negativity comes from fear, which breeds hate. The New Testament says, "Perfect love casts out fear." I would add, "Perfect fear casts out love." So people are afraid of LGBTQ people as the 'other,' and that breeds hatred and homophobia.
WE NEED RESPECTFUL DIALOGUE
AMERICAN JAMES MARTIN SJ IS ONE OF THE MOST PROMINENT CATHOLIC PRIESTS ON SOCIAL MEDIA. IT IS, HE SAYS, A TWOEDGED SWORD.
But the most intense hatred seems to come from people who are 'ex-gays' or 'recovering gays.' Over the past few years, I've spoken to several psychologists who say most of this rage comes from people's discomfort with their own sexuality. How do I handle the attacks? By ignoring most of them. And by remembering that not everyone can love, like or approve of me. Our model is Jesus, and even he was attacked. If they did that to him, why not to me?
In the run-up to your talk at the 2018 World Meeting of Families in Dublin, an online campaign called for your removal from the programme. What are your reflections on this incident?
It was ironic that even a Vatican-approved talk (whose theme – Showing Respect and Welcome in Our Parishes to LGBT People – was chosen by the Vatican itself) wasn't sufficiently orthodox for people. There was even an "alternate WMOF meeting" organised as a result. Honestly, I thought it was just sad. Here is a talk about welcoming people who may be different from you, and people didn't want to hear it. What would they have said to Jesus when he met the Roman centurion, the Samaritan woman, tax collector or the leper? Well, as we saw, they called for his removal too. But again, he is our model, so why should we expect anything different?
Heated interactions often take place on Catholic social media. Are the online battles between 'right' and 'left' becoming more pronounced, and do they reflect the church on the ground?
I find them very sad. "See how they shove one another," as a Jesuit friend of mine says. The amount of anonymous, hateful and really cruel attacks on people are mind-boggling. And I think we also have to reintroduce an underused word into our discourse: mean. You can talk all you want about the political, spiritual, theological, ecclesiological or even sociological reasons behind these attacks, but, in the end, the answer is that some people are just mean, Catholics included. It's like what you see sometimes on the playground at school: mean kids bullying other kids. By this point, I've been called every name in the book, and am attacked on a daily, sometimes hourly basis. So I'm no longer surprised. But the cruelty makes the church look like a very dark place.
How can the church promote a culture of respectful dialogue on social media, as spoken about by Pope Francis?
First, never to engage in ad hominem attacks (that is, on the person). Disagree with what they say, but don't attack (or judge them). Second, always try to give people the benefit of the doubt. Finally, if someone seems just purposely cruel or completely uninterested in dialogue, don't engage them. It's something of a waste of time. Be open to their changing, but if they cannot control their cruelty, shake the dust off your feet, as Jesus said.
