CUC Project Reveals Key Actors in Digital Debates on Catholic Topics

The scientific research project “Representation and Analysis of Catholic Topics in the Digital Media Space”, conducted at the Department of Communication Studies of the Catholic University of Croatia, has published its first findings on the digital media ecosystem in Croatia. The analysis covers the period from 2021 to 2023 and provides the most detailed insight so far into which media outlets and actors hold the greatest influence in discussions on religious topics.

One of the key findings, illustrated in the accompanying visualization, is that the list of the most influential actors varies dramatically depending on the platform.

On web portals, the highest audience engagement is generated by a combination of mainstream media, specialized religious portals, and right-leaning political outlets—indicating a highly competitive and often politicized environment.

In contrast, YouTube functions as a distinct ecosystem dominated by independent content creators, prayer communities, and specialized media focused exclusively on spiritual themes, with an almost complete absence of mainstream media.

Facebook emerges as a hybrid platform where, alongside media outlets and church institutions, significant engagement is achieved by pages dedicated to abstract religious concepts, as well as profiles of public figures and political organizations.

“The first results clearly show that we cannot speak of one, unified ‘digital space,’ but rather of a series of overlapping yet distinct arenas, each with its own rules and key actors,” said project leader Assist. Prof. Luka Šikić, Ph.D., adding that understanding this structure is essential for all future analyses of narratives and sentiments.

This research positions the Catholic University of Croatia as a leader in applying innovative computational social science methods to the analysis of complex social phenomena.

A detailed analytical report is available at the link.

Learn more about the project and its upcoming activities on the project’s official website.