A group of young Filipino Catholics are giving out awards this year to institutions and individuals who have contributed to the spread of “good news” through social media.
The Catholic Social Media Awards aim “to motivate Filipinos to initiate and nurture a culture of truth on social media.”
The awards, which began in 2015, are an initiative of YouthPinoy, a group of young Filipino Catholics, in partnership with the media office of the Catholic bishops’ conference.
The awards also aim “to empower netizens to communicate and produce authentic content” and highlight “effective online strategies, reliable sources and influencers.”
Monsignor Pedro Quitorio III, director of the media office of the bishops’ conference, said the event supports the Church’s call to use social media as a platform for evangelization.
He said that even though traditional media like radio and television continue to be timely, it is important to also look into the effectiveness of social media.
A study by We Are Social and Hootsuite revealed that the Philippines topped the world in terms of internet use in front of a desktop or laptop computer.
The Philippines is also top when it comes to social media penetration, with 99 percent of internet users on at least one type of social media platform.
The number of social media users in the Philippines has grown from 67 million last year to 76 million this year. Of these, 75 million are on Facebook.
Filipino users again topped social media use this year, clocking in at four hours and 12 minutes per day on average, the fourth straight year the country has topped this category.
For mobile phone social media use, 67 percent of online Filipinos access social media on their phone.
Monsignor Quitorio said the Catholic Church wants to spread and strengthen the “culture of truth” in communities, especially on social media.
The priest said it is also a way to counter the spread of fake news, especially relating to political issues.
“The purpose of these awards is to encourage and spread awareness and to motivate [those using social media] to improve on what they are doing,” said Monsignor Quitorio.
Winners will be selected from nominees who have contributed to “awareness of social issues and important matters of society and the Church” via social media.
The content of winning social media platforms “must cover relevant societal affairs, significant Catholic and social teachings, and even announcements or support of parochial or organizational activities.”
The award-giving body said it will honor “online Catholic communicators” hoping to inspire more people to be “online missionaries.”
Source: UCAN
