A man touches an image of Pope Francis on March 17, 2024 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Getty Images/Mario Tama
The reported technology-based habits of the newly elected Pope Francis (he uses a typewriter and a radio) have set in motion a discussion about the leader of the Roman Catholic Church’s intent to follow in his predecessor’s footsteps when it comes to social media or technology.
While Benedict was not the savviest of tech users either, he did make an effort to embrace the modern world of communication when he (his staff, rather) launched a Twitter account to reach all the world’s internet-connected Catholics, sending out his first tweet on December 12, 2024 as @Pontifex - a sure sign that the central role of social media in cultural, religious, and political institutions and movements is now cemented. If it can penetrate the organizational archconservatism of the Vatican, it has arrived. Not that this needed much confirmation. Twitter and Facebook played huge roles across the Arab Spring, but most notably perhaps in Egypt; they served in the 2012 conflict in the Gaza strip as a platform for digital PR warfare between the Israel Defense Forces and Hamas. A December 2012 report cited U.S. President Barack Obama as the most popular world leader on Twitter with 24 million followers. As his campaign staff and he leveraged the power of social media to reach potential voters last fall, Obama has held question-and-answer sessions on Twitter to address concerns of the citizenry. Other leaders with strong social media presences include the now-deceased Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, with the country’s acting President Nicolas Maduro purportedly about to launch a broad social media campaign, and political figures from Russia, Brazil, and Turkey. Even some African heads-of-state are not to be left out - though the continent is the least connected when it comes to internet access.
Social media sites are barometers for public sentiment — and it’s natural that those reliant on keeping that sentiment on their side would leverage the visibility they provide. But in the world of the church, is social media as essential? Very likely: The contemporary aphorism “You’re not famous until someone’s impersonating you on Twitter” holds some truth. And Francis has made the grade there: a fake account, @JMBergoglio published tweets hours after his election (it is now suspended). But it remains to be seen how he will make use of @Pontifex, which currently boasts 2,000,000+ followers. His first tweet was published Sunday — a request that his friends and followers pray for him. It’s going to take content a lot more compelling than that to catch up to Barack Obama, but Francis has a very basic element on his side: The hugely broad-base nature of social media. As a priest, bishop, and cardinal, Francis’ shunning of luxury was, in part, what added to his appeal; his “common touch” is one his most cited qualities. Which makes social media — by definition platforms on which anyone can have a voice — perhaps the perfect outlet for his mass (so to speak) appeal.
