Social Media Algorithms, Christian Extremism, and Catholic Ethics for Faith-Based Advocacy to Build a Culture of Encounter

Abstract

ABSTRACT Drawing on Catholic social ethics and Pope Francis’ vision of a culture of encounter, this essay demonstrates that social media algorithms function presently as “structures of sin.” Algorithms that govern social media platforms amplify hatred, spread mis(dis)information, and foment political polarization and extremism. They are obstacles to a culture of encounter that encourages solidarity across difference. As structures of sin, social media platforms are particularly potent catalysts for online radicalization. In the U.S. context, social media algorithms contributed to the rise of two overlapping extremist communities involved in the political violence on January 6, 2021 at the U.S. Capitol: Christian nationalists and the QAnon movement. With an eye to dismantling this structure of sin, the essay offers faith-based communities’ practical suggestions for enacting solidarity with those most susceptible to online radicalization for advocating for public legislation to push social media companies to design algorithms responsible to the common good.