Ella C - Pope Francis’ Call for Connectedness to Defeat the Internet’s Biggest Monster

23/11/20

Ella Cranitch

Like a migratory albatross, crossing the South Pacific to the coast of South America alongside friends and foes, we are migrating across the ocean of the internet, our aim: to reach the safety of solidarity, subsidiarity, participation and the common good.

The internet is one of our generation’s most common forms of communication, with it’s convenient, opportunistic and everchanging nature. As citizens of the digital world, we must learn to adapt to the increasing complexities associated with it. Technology provides unlimited opportunities for communication and interaction; however, users often stray from God’s message of unity and solidarity, in the form of cyberbullying.

Source: (Social Media Network Connection Concept, 2020)

Catholic Social Teaching (CST) is underpinned by the principles of Subsidiarity and Participation. In regard to online social connection, the CST of Subsidiarity and Participation, the Common Good and Solidarity are the most important teachings to apply. These three principles have been overlooked since humans have chosen to undermine God’s intentions for a just and holy world. In the movie, “The Duff”, these principles of CST’s are also ignored. Bianca had an embarrassing video shared of her and within minutes the upload was forwarded around the school, racking up hundreds of views. This illustrates the knock-on effect that one form of bullying can have, resulting in not only online, but in-person bullying. The ignorance of solidarity is highlighted in the scene where two of Bianca’s peers are given the option of keeping the video to themselves and spreading it. While they claimed they felt sympathetic for Bianca, they proceeded to forward the video to all of their friends,

disturbing the peace of the school.   

 Source: (Harvard, 2015)                                                                                          Source: (Welsh, 2020)

According to Pope Francis, although the internet and social media “…offers immense possibilities for encounter...”, in other circumstances “… we are dealing with a form of violent aggression...” (Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, 2019). This statement embodies the three key CST related to positive connection and interaction in the digital world.

In relation to Subsidiarity and Participation within the digital world, Making It Real mentions how “It is not enough to be a passerby on the digital highway, simply ‘connected’: connections need to grow into true encounters.” (Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, 2019). This facilitates a need for us to avoid turning a blind eye to cyberbullying, as it would be considered a form of consent for this behaviour. The Common Good is demonstrated by the need for a shared goal. When interacting w/ others online, although divided by an electronic screen, this CST advises members of the church to “…choose to authentically encounter and honor their humanity, and our own…” (Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, 2019). According to Caritas, solidarity is defined as everyone having an obligation to promote the rights and development of all people (Caritas, 2020). In Making it Real, Pope Francis shares how the digital world supports this principle: “Media can help us greatly in this, especially nowadays, when the network of human communication have made unprecedented advances.” (Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, 2019).

The Catholic’s church and the Bible’s grounding and foundation in such principles is what brings Christ’s love to the world. The Catholic church’s response to the bullying and ill-treatment of online users in the digital world supports the improvement of this issue and works towards a world modelled by the character of Christ. This instruction from Pope Francis is shared in his 2021 encyclical, Fratelli Tutti. Pope Francis explains the benefit and importance and of authentic connections and relationships: “Our relationships, if healthy and authentic, open us to others who expand and enrich us.” (Pope Francis, 2020). Following Pope Francis’ advice will promote human flourishing on social media platforms

 

We should not just be passersby to cyberbullying, but rather actively recognise and report the misbehaviour, so that the principles of Catholic Social Teaching can be adopted in support of the greater good. It is recommended that adolescents are familiar with social media platform’s privacy settings and report features. In order to fully grasp the implications social media has on our connectedness and overall wellbeing, we must shed light on both the pitfalls and opportunities that have arisen. What opportunities has your participation in the digital world brought to you? Leave a comment below!