By Corbin Hubbell
Social media coordinator
In my time as social media coordinator for the Diocese of Lincoln, I have had the opportunity to help grow our online presence in many different ways. The diocese is on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, and the growth we have seen on these platforms tells us what we already knew: this is where people are!
One may have a reluctance to social media, and rightfully so, given all the issues that come with it; the endless scrolling, targeted algorithms, the toxic personalities, the drama, the brain rot, and so many more negative consequences. But I choose to see social media as a tool for the future – a tool for the Church! Perhaps you, reader, are also on social media and can relate to the messiness and chaos that is the digital timeline. You then must know the importance of good content, positive content, Godly content; Catholic content! 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.
Since Jan. 1. the Catholic Diocese of Lincoln has reached more than one million views from our Facebook page alone, and an additional 216,000 views from our Instagram page, as well as more than 78,000 views on our YouTube channel. That’s a huge impact for the Lincoln Diocese, and something we are continuing to build on! We have more than 8,000 followers on our Facebook page, over 5,000 followers on our Instagram page, and we are rapidly approaching the 5,000-subscriber milestone on our YouTube channel. But the Diocese of Lincoln isn’t the only one making an impact online.
Follow our socials:
Facebook: Catholic Diocese of Lincoln, Bishop James Conley
Instagram: @CatholicLincoln, @Bishop_Conley
X: Bishop_Conley
YouTube: @CatholicDioceseofLincoln
Bishop James Conley has been working hard to reach his flock all across the Lincoln Diocese (and beyond!) receiving more than 242,000 views on his Facebook page this year so far. In just the past 90 days, Bishop Conley has reached more than 64,000 views on his Instagram page. In fact, his most viral post came from last year’s Priest Ordination Mass. In just a short clip from his homily, Bishop Conley reached nearly 600,000 views. Isn’t that amazing? Our bishop here in Lincoln is able to reach over half a million people with the use of social media! More than 25,000 people ‘liked’ that clip, and over 17,000 commented on it. Talk about 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?
Maybe you follow your favorite Catholic personalities or Catholic brands online. Perhaps you are a “Pints with Aquinas” fan, or a “Godsplaining” listener. Maybe you follow Father Mike Schmitz or Bishop Robert Barron. Or you might be a Gen Z Catholic, following Gen Z creators like Truth Charting, or one of the countless other accounts in the Catholic social media space.
Some Catholic organizations provide great content, too. A short list would include: Ascension Press (with Father Mike Schmitz), Word on Fire (with Bishop Barron), FOCUS, Catholic Answers, EWTN, Catholic News Agency, Catholic Arena, National Catholic Register, CatholicVote, and many more.
As you can see, there are so many popular, great Catholic accounts to follow. Before you follow any of these, I would recommend you follow our very own Catholic Diocese of Lincoln and Bishop James Conley! You can find these accounts on Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube.
To get back to my question, how big is the Catholic social media space? 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.
Would it serve the Church to stay out of this public square? Should we keep our Faith to ourselves when we go online? 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!
Technology is advancing rapidly, and it is easy to be uneasy about the future. The fact of the matter is, social media isn’t going away anytime soon. Just like the incrementalism of the cell phone into our lives, so too has social media slowly encroached into nearly everybody’s life. Like it or not, that’s the way it goes, and if that is how it’s going to be, we must be focused on keeping the content clean, positive, and Catholic. 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.
