The Importance of Social Media on Evangelization

Recently, the Roman Catholic Church has put a tremendous focus on evangelization, especially from the hierarchical members. This emphasis has been responded too in many ways by various people and one of the chief ways, I feel, for all of us to respond to this call of evangelization is through the growing field of technology and social media.

                People are interconnected now more than ever through social media and the worldwide web. The potential for evangelization through this medium is almost limitless and many are yet to explore all of its potential. According to internetworldstats.com, over 270 million people in North America use the Internet and that number is rapidly increasing. Furthermore, b2bsocialmediaguide.com claims that 73% of the US users of Internet are reached by Facebook, the chief social media giant, each month. Clearly a majority of the people right here in our backyard are affected by social media in one way or another.

                I believe that it would be foolish of the Church and its members not to make use of this valuable resource. Through the medium of social media one can spread the gospel through videos on everything from conversions to apologetics. Likewise, the Church can use social media to spread powerful and possibly life-changing articles which open the eyes of people to the truth or spark an interest to learn more.

                Many Catholic organizations are making use of social media to spread the Good News. For example, Catholic Online has over 35,000 “likes” on Facebook which means that when they post content on their Facebook page all of those that like them will see the content on their newsfeed. Those that “like” them also have easier access to their content on Facebook and are more likely to visit their website.

                Through social media the Roman Catholic Church has the potential to promote the Gospel by promoting Catholic books, the rosary, and more. Social media catches the eye of the world if used correctly and many Catholic groups are doing just that. It is easy to look at the Internet and social media while only seeing the faults and misuses of its faculties. However, I challenge all, yourself included, to see the potential for evangelization and good work within its powers and use them. Remember that, “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” –Edmund Burke