Online social media can bring value by gathering people around certain ideas, or helping inform people about events that build community, said Jesuit Father Christopher Collins, vice president for mission at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul.
But online communication also can make it difficult to maintain humane and loving interactions, he said.
Father Christopher Collins
The ability to be anonymous, and the lack of face-to-face, interpersonal communication can contribute to uncharitable, mean-spirited exchanges, Father Collins said, with some people “wanting to just conquer or humiliate another.”
Part of the challenge, he said, “is just that there’s not an actual human person in front of us.”
Father Collins recently joined “Practicing Catholic” host Patrick Conley to discuss how people can charitably engage with others on social media.
Try to find what’s good in an exchange, and where the other person is coming from, he said, “even if it’s kind of ‘off.’”
“Look for what’s good, and start to build from there, where we have a place of common sensibility, and then some of the other things can perhaps get cleared up,” he said.
God created people for unity with each other and with him, Father Collins said. “And if we’re always looking for where the difference is, or where the problem is, well, that’s all we’re going to find then, too,” he said.
Listening for the good in someone and building from there is an act of holiness, he said, “of looking for where there’s unity, because where there’s unity, that’s where the presence of God is, ultimately.”
Conley asked Father Collins how to promote beauty, truth and goodness in social media, especially through more visual social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok. Saying those platforms were a bit out of his element, Father Collins nonetheless suggested that the ultimate beauty to encounter is God in the created world, “away from the screen.”
During the interview, Conley asked Father Collins for specific guidance on a hypothetical situation, such as an online friend posting something patently false about a Catholic teaching. To hear Father Collins’ response, and to hear the full interview, listen to this episode of “Practicing Catholic,” which debuts at 9 p.m. March 11 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM and also airs at 1 p.m. March 12 and 2 p.m. March 13.
Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the latest show also includes interviews with Father Spencer Howe and Sam Backman from Holy Cross in Minneapolis, who describe the history of the 40 Hours devotion and an upcoming opportunity for participation this Lent; and Dr. Jack Lane, neuroradiology consultant from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, and Roland Millare, Ph.D., vice president of curriculum and director of Shepherd’s Heart for the Houston-based St. John Paul II Foundation, who describe how Catholic health care professionals work to provide ethically sound care and counsel.
Listen to all of the interviews after they have aired at
soundcloud.com/PracticingCatholic
tinyurl.com/PracticingCatholic (Spotify)
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