Participation knows no bounds. In the world of many to many, no one can rest on their laurels. Not even if you’re 82, and head of one of the largest religious movements in the world. Pope Benedict has urged his priests to spread the Catholic message through “the latest generation of audio-visual resources – images, videos, animated features, blogs, websites – which, alongside traditional means, can open up broad new vistas for dialogue…”.
While it’s unlikely the Pope himself is Tweeting, this is looking to the horizon. Can there be any social movement in the world that is not prepared to put its message in the hands of people around the world? By giving up an element of control, the message spreads widely, more quickly. In turn, you can guarantee there is a degree of trust when you receive information from your friends, in your network. Participation is all about authenticity, not an email robot, nor a blanket email to thousands of subscribers.
The Pope is online now in a big way. Saatchi & Saatchi Italy are answering the call in their own country too, becoming a new communication partner of Euro Digital Equipment, collaborating on the creation of prexcommunion.com, a new online community devoted to praying together, in addition to working on the iPrex application for iPhone. Given the empirical links between spirituality and happiness, this approach can work in other countries, other cultures, other religions too. It’s about authenticity, speaking from the heart, and sharing with those you care about. That’s universal.
