CV NEWS FEED // Catholics would do well to take advantage of faith-based news, organizations, and social media that are now the new public square, according to a diocesan social media specialist.
Corbin Hubbell, social media coordinator for the Diocese of Lincoln, Nebraska, wrote for the diocesan newspaper, Southern Nebraska Register, that social media and a “digital timeline” can be used as helpful tools despite the associations of social media with brain rot, echo chambers, addiction, and more.
“I believe it is our duty as Catholics to flood the timeline with this good, positive, Godly, Catholic content, because you never know what may take its place,” he wrote.
If social media and online communications are the new public square, the Church would do well to adapt and share the Faith online as well, Hubbell wrote.
“Do we really think the internet would be better without the good news? Of course not. We are all called to be saints, and Lord knows the internet needs saints!” he wrote.
Hubbell noted that the statistics from this year for the diocesan media’s reach alone are outstanding. The diocese’s Facebook page has garnered more than 1 million views, while its Instagram and YouTube have received 216,000 and more than 78,000 views, respectively. Lincoln Bishop James Conley’s social media posts also have thousands of views, which Hubbell celebrated as a “positive impact.”
“So, if the Catholic Diocese of Lincoln can get more than a million views on Facebook, and if Bishop Conley can reach half a million people in a single 60-second clip, how big is the Catholic social media space?” he asked.
Hubbell later answered his own question: “The answer is, ‘far bigger than you think!’ The fact is, millions of people see this kind of content every day, read what people say, and see what people do. There are more than enough accounts in the Catholic sphere to shift the conversation toward the light; toward the Gospel.”
He concluded, “It’s our job, in this day and age, to bring the joy of the Gospel to the new public square: now located on your favorite social media platform, right in the palm of your hand.”
Hubbell recommended following Catholic personalities and Catholic brands, like Pints with Aquinas, Bishop Robert Barron, and Truth Charting. He also highlighted Catholic organizations to follow for content, including Ascension Press, Word on Fire, Catholic Answers, FOCUS, and Catholic news outlets.
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