The Pope chooses 'attention in the age of clickbait' to communicate in 2027

According to a statement from the Dicastery for Communication, Pope Leo XVI has chosen the theme of “conversion of the gaze, with attention and love” for next year’s 61st World Day of Social Communications.

The attention economy, in its struggle to capture a few moments of attention amid the rapid and endless flow of content, the note points out, “is transforming not only our cognitive abilities, but also the depth of our interpersonal communication.”.

We are therefore called “to a conversion of our gaze: to look anew, attentively and with love.” Only in this way “will we be able to see the world, others, and even ourselves as Christ sees us: called by name and loved,” the text adds. “Our communication changes when our gaze chooses to draw near to others instead of judging them.”.

Lack of genuine attention

The lack of genuine attention, fueled by digital culture, has accustomed us to a routine of immediate reactions, to superficiality in relationships, to the ease with which we label and reject others. 

“Attention, on the other hand, is a valuable form of generosity: “attention” comes from “ad-tendere”, to reach out towards the other and towards the truth. Christian communication can rediscover attention as a gift and as a way of seeing, that of Jesus, who saw and was moved,” according to the statement.

Communication affects the whole person

Faced with clickbait (lures or ways of doing things that seek to catch clicks), "we are called to 'pay attention' and rediscover a hygiene of attention.".

The note also emphasizes that “communicating is not about capturing attention, nor is it about selling it, but about safeguarding it as a valuable resource for relationships. To communicate in the age of clickbait, we are called to “pay attention” and rediscover a hygiene of attention (cf. MH, 146).”. 

Communication is not just about words, the note concludes. “It affects the whole person, and requires us to look, listen, and feel again in order to respond to the call that Christ addresses to us.”.