Communication is a fundamental part of human life, which is why Aristotle refers to man as the Being of logos, “Word/reason”, this is a social being which develops languages, whether verbal, direct, or mediated.
The human being by nature is a social being and because of this communication is born, this allows him to transmit a message and make himself understood by other subjects. Man is a relational being, who is in constant communication with his environment, with himself, and with God; In this way, we can find meaning in the evolution of dedicated communication, and its impact on today’s society, as Giavanni Sartori writes in his book Homo Videns, where he explains how he went from Homo sapiens to the man of the screen.
Man, when he feels alone, seeks to come into contact with another; Due to this, social networks have become very popular in society and especially in the youth environment. In that sense it can be said that the media is a bridge that unites and communicates many on the web; However, it is an ocean in which those who navigate without a compass, fall into the virtual abyss that creates a gap in interpersonal communications, preventing healthy real communication between the people who surround the cybernaut, who accumulates virtual relationships, are lost but that depersonalize the real individual.
The use of technology does not have a moral value, good or bad, however, incorrect use can harm people’s lives, which is why communicators are asked to evangelize social networks, since these are places full of humanity[1], through the use of technologies, communications have become more effective, the speed with which a message is transmitted has increased thanks to it. Today any mobile device has the technology to be able to connect to the internet with great ease and use social networks.
The Nature and Mission of the Church is to announce the Gospel, (Mt 28,19-20, Lk 24,47-48, Mc 16,15), Saint Paul VI, recalled it in the encyclical letter Evangelii Nunciandi (20), Insofar as cultures must be evangelized, and in this 21st century it is digital culture, this “represents a challenge for those who want to speak about truth and values.”[2]
After having experienced the crisis of the Covid-19 Pandemic, this allowed us to demonstrate the positive impact generated by being able to transmit, in the simplest way, the transmissions of the online Masses, the messages of the Holy Father, the call to Prayer , this generated a media impact, in which the call was made to virilize love, where the greatest danger to the world is indifference, in such a fast-paced world, resulting in a cold and lonely world, in which identity The subject is lost in the mass, becoming one more. Said subject thirsts for recognition, since he himself does not know who he is, which is why he needs to create a profile to take on an identity, often far from reality, projecting a distorted image, complying with parameters imposed by society.
In a light culture, where modern man is a superfluous being, resulting in a subject without consistency, without a strong base that supports his being.
Furthermore, he is influenced by commercial marketing that bombards him at every moment with so much advertising, and this hinders his ability to assimilate all the information with good judgment.
Pope Francis illuminates, from the Gospel of Christ, these facts and denounces the effects of the globalization of exclusion and indifference, and invites the globalization of hope[3], in the face of the throwaway culture, the pope proposes the culture of encounter[4].
The phenomenon of social networks and now Artificial Intelligence is already part of our culture. And now the challenge that corresponds to us is to bring to these spaces the announcement of the good news of Christ, having a clear identity of the Church, when valued well and in a balanced way, favor forms of dialogue and debate that, carried out with respect, safeguarding privacy, responsibility and interest in the truth, they can strengthen the bonds of unity between people and effectively promote the harmony of the human family[5].
Walter Alfredo Garcia Roquel, Alumnus of the International Academy of Catholic Leaders
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[1] Cf. Pope Francis, Communication at the service of an authentic culture of encounter, JMCCSS 2014
[2] Social Networks: portals of truth and faith; new spaces for evangelization. Pope Benedict XVI, JMCCSS, 2013
[3] Francisco, II World Meeting of Popular Movements, Bolivia, 2015
[4] Cf. Ibid
[5] Benedict XVI, “Social Networks: portals of truth and faith; new spaces for evangelization”, Message of the 47th Day
