A Religious Social (Media) Revolution

Jess on August 19, 2009

I’m going to diverge a little bit from the last several lines of discussions about museums in this blog and look for examples of bending to new trends in social media from other directions. I’m doing this for two reasons, the first is that I fixed some technical problems for Shameless Popery, a Catholic theology blog operated by my friend Joe for whom I also designed the site’s masthead. So he thanked me with a link and I would like to deliver for his readers if they follow the trail he left to jlrezac.com.

The second reason is that the Vatican museum recently started offering night tours to respond to new tourist demands and to take part in a trend that many museums are following and I would like to point out that the latest reservation to visit the Vatican museum is at 9:30 p.m. on at least Friday nights for September and October. I hope they continue this when I’m next in Vatican City because who wouldn’t love a night stroll to the Sistine Chapel? The Vatican has been such a private space and I would love to re-visit it after dark. Other museums offer late entries during certain seasons and I think it allows a different kind of reflection about the works in the collection—and in the case of the Vatican Museums, a different religious experience—than is offered during the day. At least, I’ve always felt a different reflectiveness about both museums and churches after dark so I’m glad that the Vatican is offering these late entries.

Also, Joe at Shameless Popery blogged about the impact of lay-bloggers in the church in entry titled “Laypeople in the (Online) New Evangelization” the other day in which he discussed concerns that church leaders and others have about non-priests blogging. His argument boils down to a fear that priests will seem less necessary as more laypeople contribute to the new evangelization and comment on the theology of the church. This fear repeats itself outside of the Church in regards to other positions of authority that are threatened by the ability of internet individuals to become authorities or establish their credibility through thoughtful participation the blogosphere. In this way, museums worry that the digital representation of objects may nullify their social role and that the museum and its curators will no longer be a necessary authority in interpretation of their artifacts.

As for the Church, I think the authority of the Holy See sits well as resources like Pope2You.net offer individuals quick access to the social media outlets and projects of the Vatican. Riazat Butt, the religious affairs correspondent to the Guardian explained the Vatican’s rationale for creating such a site and media in a May article, “iPhone to popePhone: follow the pontiff as Vatican grasps new technology.” As long as the highest levels of the Catholic Church understand, as does Monsignor Paul Tighe, secretary to the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, that “If a church does not communicate then it ceases to be a church. It is not simply the technologies of communication that are changing, the culture of communication is changing also,” strategies for enhancing the role of priests in social media evangelization will be created.

Finally, as with the museum world, I think that this fear is somewhat irrational as people still fundamentally desire authenticity found only in actual attendance at a church, or a museum, that cannot be offered through a blog, an image, or a forum. Instead, I think social media communications and on-line evangelization either by museums or churches is likely to only enhance the appreciation for the role that these institutions play in society and our personal lives. Thus, increased evangelization or interpretation online is likely to increase the temporal and emotional appreciation for these institutions—reserving a space in the the hearts and minds of potential visitors and believers.

Let's get going!

Jess on August 13, 2009

It’s interesting how life is. I’m starting the major reading project for my thesis beginning yesterday and continuing today while I’m home for a few week in Topeka, Kansas visiting parents and friends. That means, I’ve returned to my favorite coffee shop—at least locally—since I learned to drive. PT’s/Lola’s has survived two sets of owners, three or four management changes, new people in front and back of the barista counter at that time, and even when I disappear for a year and come back in, they compliment my new hair style and ask me how my marriage is going.

In some other arrangement of this room and patio, I first read Annie on My Mind, a book I remain sentimental about, sipped my first shots of espresso, started smoking and quit smoking a month later, developed a taste for cappuccino foam over coffee, and now that I return from Texas an ice tea enthusiast, I still love the smell of their PT’s coffee over any other coffee smell. I have written probably dozens of poems here, met friends of all sorts from all my circles of friends for conversations and general mischief. The first time Kyle came to Topeka to meet me, I told him to meet me here because that was only the most natural meeting place.

I’ve also written at least a portion of most every significant paper I’ve ever worked on here, from high school through undergrad and now I’m starting my thesis surrounded by different paint but familiar faces, and I’m very much ready to get going on that new project, too.

I have two-thirds of a thesis committee put together, including my chair and my outside committee-member and now I’m doing the reading. Yesterday, I read the very short collection of literature available about social media and non-profits and I’m realizing I probably have a lot to contribute to the discussion. The most significant difference between what I might say and what the literature suggests stems from my coming at it from a different angle. Most of the authors seem to have came into social media somewhat begrudgingly for their institution without fully understanding how it works, and I’ve been a fan of it since before the word blog existed outside of blog networks. I’m most excited to get into more interesting, historical, reading about how museums translate history through and alongside popular culture.

I’m hoping that needing some sort of daily account of my thesis inspires me to blog a little bit more, as microblogging has killed the macroblogger in me in many respects. Also, as I’ve intended to begin using this space at the start of the upcoming semester to reflect on the current state of museums and museology, my pursuit of knowledge in the field of popular culture, popular history and museum education/interpretation, seems to be a perfect fit for the pseudo-direction of this little corner of the Internet.