Today, it is not uncommon to find a priest on TikTok, a nun on Instagram, or someone sharing a short video about their faith. Some have thousands of followers. Others have millions of views. They have a particular way of speaking, an aesthetic, a style and a community that recognizes them. In other words, many of the same things that any influencer has.

And that raises an interesting question: where does the person who communicates end and the personal brand begin?

There is nothing inherently wrong with building an identity on social media. In fact, it is difficult to communicate without doing so. We follow certain people precisely because we like how they explain topics, because we trust them, or simply because they managed to capture our attention. The problem arises when being known ceases to be the medium and becomes the objective.

Influencers, but also missionaries

For the first time, in July 2025, Rome hosted a jubilee dedicated to Catholic influencers and digital missionaries. The very existence of the encounter speaks volumes: for the Church, social networks are already a place to meet others.

During that Jubilee, Leo XIV spoke directly with those who carry out this task and left a reflection that speaks directly to this tension:

“It is not simply about generating content, but about creating an encounter between hearts. This will involve seeking out those who suffer, those who need to know the Lord, so that they can heal their wounds, get back up and find meaning in their lives.”

This phrase changes the way we think about what it means to “be successful” on social media. Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube have accustomed us to measuring practically everything—ow many people follow us, how many watched a video, how many commented, and how many shared it. But no statistics can really tell us what happened on the other side of the screen.

Perhaps someone came to a reflection on God after watching twenty videos that had absolutely nothing to do with each other. Perhaps another found a community they didn’t have offline. Or they just heard something they needed to hear that day.

When followers stop being numbers

Leo XIV went a little further in that speech. He asked the digital missionaries to build networks in which loneliness could be combated “regardless of the number of followers” and in which there was more room for the other than for oneself.

That’s where we find the difference. Having followers doesn’t automatically turn someone into a brand. Neither does taking care of an aesthetic. Nor understanding an algorithm, thinking of a good video, or looking for a message to reach more people. The question is: why do we do all that?

On the Internet, it’s very easy to end up talking to get numbers. The challenge, perhaps, is to remember that each of those numbers is still a person. And that a community shouldn’t just be an audience.