Sosiale media en koinonia in gemeentes: ’n prakties teologiese studie
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Oosthuizen, Leon
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University of the Free State
Abstract
Afrikaans: Met die fenomenale groei van sosiale media, het hierdie vorm van nuwe media, ’n daadwerklike deel van meeste mense se daaglikse lewe geword. Talle gemeentes het die geleentheid aangegryp om ook van sosiale media platforms gebruik te maak, maar terselfdertyd ook die teleurstelling beleef dat hulle nie die verwagte reaksie op hulle media-plasings ontvang het nie. Hierdie navorsing ondersoek die ontwikkeling van sosiale media, veral die inhoudelike van sosiale media plasing en mense se verwagtings wanneer hulle hierdie platforms besoek. Die volgende navorsingsvraag spruit uit die agtergrond van die inhoudelike van sosiale media plasings en die gebruikers se verwagtings: Kan sosiale media koinonia in die plaaslike gemeente bevorder? Die navorsing volg ’n hermeneutiese proses. Oplossings word gesoek deur die verloop van vier duidelike take, soos oorspronklik deur Osmer omskryf. Die eerste behels die empiries beskrywende taak om die stem van die gebruikers te hoor en wel deur middel van ’n inhoudsanalise van vyf gemeentes se Facebook inskrywings, persoonlike onderhoude met Facebook-gebruikers, en ’n fokusgroep-gesprek met gebruikers van ’n Whatsapp-groep. Dit word volg deur die interpretatiewe taak en behels ’n literatuurstudie waar na redes gesoek word oor waarom dít wat in die eerste taak waargeneem is, gebeur. Derdens, ’n normatiewe taak word uitgevoer ten einde sekere toepaslike begrippe vanuit die Skrif en tradisie te beoordeel. Laastens, is die pragmatiese taak waar daar gepoog word om die praxis probleem te herstel. Uit die empiriese werk, sowel as die literatuurstudie, blyk dit dat gebruikers nie net eenrigtingkommunikasie op sosiale media wil ontvang nie, maar ’n behoefte het om op hierdie platforms te sosialiseer en selfs onderlinge koinonia te ervaar. Hoewel ’n koinonia-ervaring in ’n digitale ruimte moontlik minder intens is as in ’n fisiese omgewing, kan hierdie medium heelwat bydra tot mense wat alreeds ’n verbintenis met ’n fisiese gemeente het, se ervaring van koinonia. Met die korrekte gebruik, kan sosiale media dus beslis help om koinonia in die plaaslike gemeente te bevorder.
English: With the phenomenal growth of social media, this form of new media has become an active part of most people's daily lives. Many congregations took the opportunity to also make use of social media platforms, but at the same time also experienced the disappointment that they did not receive the expected response to their media posts. The research explores the development of social media, but especially the content of social media posts and people's expectations when visiting these platforms. The following research question emerged from the background of the content of social media posts and the users' expectations: Can social media promote koinonia in the local church? The research follows a hermeneutical process, seeking solutions through the course of four clear tasks, as originally described by Osmer. The first is the empirical descriptive task of hearing the voice of the users. It involves a content analysis of five congregations' Facebook entries, personal interviews with Facebook users, and a focus group conversation with users of a Whatsapp group. This is followed by the interpretive task. Reasons are sought through a literature study on why what was observed in the first task happened. Thirdly, there is a normative task to judge certain relevant concepts from Scripture and tradition. Lastly, there is the pragmatic task, where an attempt is made to repair the praxis problem. From the empirical work, as well as from the literature study, it become clear that users not only want to receive one-way communication on social media but have a need to socialize on these platforms and even experience mutual koinonia. Although a koinonia experience in a digital space may be less intense than in a physical environment, this medium can greatly contribute to people, who already have a connection to a physical congregation, experience of koinonia. Properly used, social media can definitely contribute to the experience of koinonia in the local congregation.
English: With the phenomenal growth of social media, this form of new media has become an active part of most people's daily lives. Many congregations took the opportunity to also make use of social media platforms, but at the same time also experienced the disappointment that they did not receive the expected response to their media posts. The research explores the development of social media, but especially the content of social media posts and people's expectations when visiting these platforms. The following research question emerged from the background of the content of social media posts and the users' expectations: Can social media promote koinonia in the local church? The research follows a hermeneutical process, seeking solutions through the course of four clear tasks, as originally described by Osmer. The first is the empirical descriptive task of hearing the voice of the users. It involves a content analysis of five congregations' Facebook entries, personal interviews with Facebook users, and a focus group conversation with users of a Whatsapp group. This is followed by the interpretive task. Reasons are sought through a literature study on why what was observed in the first task happened. Thirdly, there is a normative task to judge certain relevant concepts from Scripture and tradition. Lastly, there is the pragmatic task, where an attempt is made to repair the praxis problem. From the empirical work, as well as from the literature study, it become clear that users not only want to receive one-way communication on social media but have a need to socialize on these platforms and even experience mutual koinonia. Although a koinonia experience in a digital space may be less intense than in a physical environment, this medium can greatly contribute to people, who already have a connection to a physical congregation, experience of koinonia. Properly used, social media can definitely contribute to the experience of koinonia in the local congregation.