Anticipated Vatican smoke triggers a flurry of online activity
Fast-paced buzz surrounding the Vatican's ultra-secretive conclave to select a new pope is taking over social media, captivating users worldwide.
Over the weekend, US President Donald Trump posted a picture, possibly AI-generated, depicting himself as the Pope, donned in pontifical robes and sitting on a throne. This image joined the countless others surfacing since Pope Francis's demise on April 21st and ahead of the cardinals' gathering on Wednesday.
According to monitoring platform Visibrain, more than 1.3 million tweets about the conclave have been published on Twitter, with TikTok generating over 363 million views on related videos.
Die-hard pontiff fans can delve into the online game "Mantapa," predicting their preferred cardinals for the next Pope in a way similar to sports betting.
Enshrouded in grandeur and enigma
The grandeur, pageantry, and secrets surrounding the conclave, from the ornate Sistine Chapel setting to the ethereal black or white smoke signaling election results, instantly appeals to the narrative formats of social networks, says researcher Refka Payssan in information and communication sciences.
The mysterious, clandestine nature of conclaves, carefully cultivated by the Vatican, strikes a chord with young people who love speculating about future outcomes, explains Stephanie Laporte, founder of digital strategy consultancy OTTA.
"Everyone on social networks has an opinion and everyone wants to unravel the mystery, find clues, and guess who will become the new Pope. It feels like an 'escape game'," she suggests.
Payssan highlights that the excitement surrounding the conclave feeds the curiosity of witnessing history unfold live, marking a rare event and potentially world-changing event in 12 years.
Though not Catholic themselves, young people are well-informed about the Pope's influence on hundreds of millions, even billions of people, whether concerning contraception or the environment, according to Laporte.
Digital revolution
The feverish anticipation for the conclave also reflects the Vatican's successful recent turn towards digital communication, aimed at appealing to younger generations.
Benedict XVI created the papal Twitter account @pontifex in 2012, but it was mostly used by Francis, reaching 50 million followers across nine languages. Francis also had over 10 million followers on Instagram.
The Church supports numerous cardinals in their digital ventures, propelling some to internet stardom. New York prelate Timothy Dolan has shared videos about the lead-up to the conclave with nearly 300,000 followers on Twitter and 55,000 on Instagram, without revealing sensitive information.
Philippine cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle has garnered 600,000 followers on Facebook, thanks to karaoke videos, while Tokyo's Archbishop Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi shared a photo with colleagues en route to pay their respects at Francis's grave.
Cardinals, as intriguing public figures, spark public interest in the event, fueling excitement, notes Laporte. This fascination has been amplified by pop culture offerings like Dan Brown's novel "Angels and Demons" and the film adaptation, or Robert Harris's thriller "Conclave" based on a book by the same title.
- The hype surrounding the Vatican's conclave has reached social media, with the event captivating users worldwide, even those not affiliated with the Catholic faith.
- The digital revolution spearheaded by the Vatican, such as the papal accounts on Twitter and Instagram, has contributed to the swift spread of information about the conclave.
- Entertainment and general news platforms have also joined in, reporting on the conclave and its impact on global events.
- The Visibrain monitoring platform reports a significant increase in conversation about the conclave on platforms like Twitter and TikTok, with many users participating in online games like "Mantapa" to predict the next pope, similar to sports betting.
