Benefits and Challenges of a Smart Phone to Candidates in the Holistic Formation of the Catholic Religious in Langata Sub-County Nairobi – County

Abstract

The Catholic Church accepts and appreciates the use of Smartphones for proclaiming the good news. In fact, all social communication applications could be effectively used for evangelization. This research focused on examining the benefits and challenges of using a smart phone in the holistic formation of the religious in Langata Sub-County, Nairobi County in Kenya. the specific objectives included; investigating the benefits and drawbacks of using IMO and Instagram, investigating the advantages and disadvantages of using Twitter and Facebook, investigating the advantages and disadvantages of using WhatsApp and Viber, and proposing alternative methods for effectively utilizing the benefits of smart phones for the holistic formation of the Religious in Langata Sub-County, Nairobi, Kenya. The study was based on the "Uses and gratifications theory" (UGT) and media system dependence theory. It used quantitative and qualitative methodologies, using a convergent parallel mixed method research design to enhance its findings. The target population consisted of 50 Novices, 10 Mother Superiors, and 95 Professed Sisters from various Congregations. Purposive sampling was used to sample 10 major superiors and 95 Professed Sisters, while simple random sampling was used to sample 40 novices. Data collected via questionnaires and interviewing protocols. Both quantitative and qualitative analytic methods were used to analyse the data. According to the research on the benefits of smartphone use for holistic formation, WhatsApp was used to communicate with new people in novel ways, Facebook was used to share information about formation and forging professional connections. Findings on challenges of using smartphones showed that; WhatsApp is a significant source of interruption during prayers, and religious women are psychologically affected by Facebook bullying. The study concluded that; the use of a smartphone could influence religious formation either positively or negatively, depending on the user. The study's recommendations include; formees should be trained on the proper use of smartphones, communities should also conduct workshops and invite communication experts to enlighten the novices on how to detect dangers such as scams and exploiters online, superiors should form small groups amongst formees to enhance sister's keeper” spirit, and strict rules should be established in the community to control the use of smartphones during critical times, like time for community prayers and other activities.