Use of Social Media in the Lived Experiences of Sto. Niño de Cebu Devotees

In recent years, social media has become a vital tool for communication and engagement among Catholic devotees. Devotion and evangelization in the context of social media require a genuine personal relationship with Christ that inspires and guides every devotee in their online interactions. By sharing authentic faith experiences and messages rooted in love and truth, social media becomes a powerful tool for spreading the Gospel and deepening connections within the digital community. This study explores the real-life encounters of Sto. Niño de Cebu devotees with social media platforms through a phenomenological research design. It aims to identify and describe the significance of these experiences by employing phenomenology to uncover the essence of reality through the participants’ narratives. The study involved five Sto. Niño devotees who were interviewed utilizing self-made questions and storytelling; the in-depth interviews were conducted face-to-face and via video conferencing while adhering to ethical standards and ensuring voluntary participation. Data analysis followed Moustakas’ phenomenological method, which included self-reflective narratives, thematic reflection, and symbolic representation to provide textural and structural descriptions of the participants’ core experiences. The findings illustrate how social media has become integral to the devotees’ lives, enhancing their spiritual connection, faith, family and community interactions, evangelization efforts, and access to information and education, thereby shaping their personal lives and religious practices.