Over the past few years the global social media platform called Facebook and one of its founders, Mark Zuckerberg, have found themselves under scrutiny because Facebook is used, purportedly, to promulgate hate speech, foster conspiracy theories, and even to influence the outcome of elections. There are issues about the privacy of users and misinformation about COVID vaccines. Zuckerberg and his minions are artful dodgers when they are called on the carpet of government inquiries, although the Z in Chief has looked quite sweaty at times.
It's curious that something that began as a way for college students to connect, became so popular that it was abandoned by young people because it was deemed "mom-book" and is used by businesses and organizations world-wide, has these other sinister lives.
Churches and a variety of religious organizations have used Facebook for years, and I know that when our son Isaac was a youth minister it was an effective way to communicate with teens and Sunday School teachers.
Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post, via Getty Image
It appears that Facebook is doubling down on the connection between their platform and faith groups, from individual congregations to denominations, Jewish synagogues to Islamic mosques to Buddhist meditation leaders are exploring the possibilities. It's noted that there are more Facebook users -- roughly 3 billion -- than there are Christians or Muslims. Facebook is reaching out to faith groups to form partnerships for online presence, an intriguing trend which has been accelerated during the pandemic when so many religious groups went online for the first time to stay connected, including worship services. According to a New York Times article:
Facebook, which recently passed $1 trillion in market capitalization, may seem like an unusual partner for a church whose primary goal is to share the message of Jesus. But the company has been cultivating partnerships with a wide range of faith communities over the past few years, from individual congregations to large denominations, like the Assemblies of God and the Church of God in Christ.
Last month, Facebook executives pitched their efforts to religious groups at a virtual faith summit. Sheryl Sandberg, the company’s chief operating officer, shared an online resource hub with tools to build congregations on the platform. “Faith organizations and social media are a natural fit because fundamentally both are about connection,” Ms. Sandberg said. “Our hope is that one day people will host religious services in virtual reality spaces as well, or use augmented reality as an educational tool to teach their children the story of their faith,” she said.
While this is being promoted as a way to be connected virtually, and to evangelize, there are also possibilities to "monetize" Facebook to financially support faith groups. Hmm. There does seem to be a "deal with the virtual devil" unfolding here, but I'll confess that I have never been a Facebook user, ever, which probably puts me in the company of a dozen other humans living today.
We'll see, won't we? Just so you know, I am never bowing down before the Dark Lord Zuckerberg, even though my every moment is now being tracked!
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