Korean Church Use of the Social Networking Service

One of the priests who have been active in cyberspace in Seoul and now in his own diocese explains in his article in the Kyeongyang Magazine that the Church would benefit by using the internet's social networking service. This online platform allows us to share experiences of daily life, thoughts, interests and information with those who are interested. An example of SNS is the mini blog, Twitter, that began several years ago and has surprised everyone by how it has grown. It only allows the sending of a message with 140 letters (characters) but has  been used by many celebrities helping its phenomenal growth. It will also in the immediate future be the service to watch here in Korea.

However, he reminds us that not all is positive with the service. Though there can be instant communication within seconds with anyone anywhere, there can be plenty of negativity, abusive language and false news. This is of course true for most areas of life and it should not deter us from its use.

Though his intention is not to push either Twitter or Facebook, the two most popular SNSs, he explains that  Twitter's  growth is due in part to its ability to connect with  smart phones; he makes clear that Twitter and Facebook are only two SNS out of over 110, and  this number will continue to grow.  He is happy to see that there are many Koreans using Twitter. Many Catholics are also using the service and a small number of priests but  would like to see these numbers increased. He believes  the Church should take a more active interest in utilizing the country's expertise in this area of information technology to strengthen its pastoral work and net working within the Church.

He tells us that many use Twitter merely to send messages and do not take advantage of all the possibilities and the different codes. He admits that for the beginners who want quick mastery there are problems. He then spends time explaining the different codes and their uses.

Although the Pope on a number of occasions has asked the Church to become interested in this new way of communicating, the priest feels the Church in Korea has not yet taken this to heart.