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Matthew Warner sees a problem with the way that the Catholic Church can view new media. He believes that the Church is “out of control” in the sense that the Church is no longer able to control its message as once it was able to do.
He says “They are out of control of their message … that is. And they are so out of control of their message precisely because they think they can control it.
“In ancient times—like before there were iPhones—there were relatively few gatekeepers of mass media. And if the Church (whether the Vatican, a diocese or a parish) could control and manage what was said (or—more importantly—what wasn’t said) to those few gatekeepers, then the message could be fairly “controlled.” Those days are gone.
“Yet, we still have a lot of leadership who think that PR stands for Press Release and that “opting out” of the social web is the “safe thing to do.” It’s not safe at all. It’s perilous.
“They worry that if they open up comments on their website or start a Facebook page or open up online communities where people can express themselves within a church forum, that somebody might say something mean. Or theologically incorrect. Or hateful. Or *gasp* something about how there are sinners in the Church.
“Guess what? They are already saying those things. Every day. Every where. The problem right now is that the Church is largely not a part of the conversation—because it chooses not to be. So whatever control it could have, it foregoes.”
He is not despairing of the situation though, as he maintains it is possible to influence the message still through inspirational leadership.
He says that “we have more and more Catholics—both leadership and laity—coming forth to be a part of that influence. And each of us can play our own little role in influencing the message. If we all say “Yes” to that with authenticity and love, the message will not be lost. It will not go unheard. And it won’t need to be controlled.”
Full Story: National Catholic Register
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News category: Analysis and Comment.
