In the past decade, social media has gone from a side hobby to one of the most powerful forces shaping our culture. It influences what we believe, how we treat each other, and even how we see ourselves.
In that space, crowded with noise, conflict, and distraction, a brown-robed Franciscan Friar has built a following of thousands of people. So, what happens when the gospel meets the algorithm?
Recently, Fr. David Convertino sat down with Fr. Casey Cole on Franciscan TV’s “Friar Time” to talk about the power, pitfalls, and future of faith in the digital age.
Fr. Casey is a social media evangelist and the host of the “Breaking in the Habit” podcast, where he offers personal reflections and explanations from a Catholic and a Franciscan perspective.
Fr. David:
Your videos reach thousands of people, but social media rewards the quick, attention-grabbing content. How do you balance the gospel with the short attention span of the digital age?
Fr. Casey:
Well, I think there are two parts to this. Sometimes it’s a short attention span. I think longer videos have done really well in the last couple of years. But really, the bigger pitfall is anger. Anger really motivates people. And so, there’s a temptation sometimes to produce content that evokes an emotional response. And that is dangerous, I think. I think there are a lot of people out there trying to prey on how we feel.
And hopefully I’m one trying to bring some thoughtfulness, some reconciling thoughts to say, “Let’s think about this a little more deeply.” But there is that temptation that we have to fight all the time.
Fr. David:
Tell me a little more about that, about the anger.
Fr. Casey:
Yeah, I mean, we’re an outrage culture these days. And so, I think it’s very easy to get angry about things. It’s much more difficult to have a broken heart. We think, oh, I don’t want to have a broken heart. But actually, a broken heart allows it to be open a little bit more to feel for our enemies, to see those people who maybe do bad things and say, well, they’re hurt as well.
Social media doesn’t like that second step. It just says, this person’s bad. I hate them. Now I feel good about myself because I’m better than them. It’s easy. It gets you lots of clicks, but it doesn’t help society.
Fr. David:
So, putting down people really kind of bolsters your ratings?
Fr. Casey:
It does. And it doesn’t even have to be directly. It can be saying something like, “Here’s what’s wrong with society.” And it just gives people a sense of empowerment, not unlike the Pharisee who says, Thank you, Lord, that I’m not like this tax collector.
Fr. David:
There’s something very gross about ourselves sometimes. And you think social media brings that out?
Fr. Casey:
Yes. It definitely radicalizes, and it gives more attention to the more outrageous. And then there’s also the personal side, okay? So, there’s a fine line between spreading the good news and becoming a Catholic influencer.
Fr. David:
Have you ever felt the pressure to perform for cliques rather than preach for conversion?
Fr. Casey:
For sure. I mean, I think it’s a temptation in all of us. And you really have to check your motivations. You have to ask yourself, is this benefiting other people, or is this benefiting myself? It’s very easy to slip into the celebrity status. It’s very isolating. It’s very self-focused. And what we have to ask ourselves is, how is this helping the gospel grow? And sometimes that means picking uncomfortable topics. Sometimes that means saying things that are prophetic that won’t always be received well.
That’s a challenge. And I think that you could be much more popular if you just said easy things all the time, but that’s not very good preaching.
Fr. David:
Tell me about something like that, something that wasn’t easy for you to do, that you did, and maybe suffered some of the consequences of it.
Fr. Casey:
Anytime that I preach loving your enemies is a tough sell because what I’m ultimately doing is defending people who have done horrible things. And I’m not defending the horrible things they’ve done, but I’m defending the inherent dignity that’s in them, that everyone’s created in the image and likeness of God. And that, for a society that wants vengeance, is a very hard sell.
What’s most saddening sometimes is when fellow Christians get angry about that, when I have to defend someone who’s done evil to someone who should already love them.
I think that’s where I’m most hurt. I understand my worth is not in the world. I understand that I’m not here to get likes and clicks from the outside world for acclaim. But when I find fellow Christians fighting each other, that gives me a bit of pause, and it frustrates me a little bit.
But that’s why we rely on God, and we’re not here to save the world. He is.
Fr. David:
My friends, in the end, social media is only as holy or as harmful as the hands that use it. The gospel doesn’t need likes to be true, but it does need voices willing to speak it boldly. Fr. Casey Cole has reminded us that in the chaos of the feed, we can still choose light over darkness, truth over noise, Christ over clicks.
Now the question is, what will you choose to post?
To enjoy the entirety of Fr. David and Fr. Casey’s “Friar Time” discussion, go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBm36jUhkAc.
For examples of social media tools, please go to www.YouTube.com/BreakingInTheHabit. For Fr. Casey’s personal Instagram, visit www.Instagram.com/CaseyOFM