How the papal conclave became a viral sensation

How the papal conclave became a viral sensation

The pomp, the vestments and the spectacle have always drawn attention, but no previous conclave was quite so online. At the previous papal conclave , in...

Vatican goes viral: TikTokers fascinated by pope election

The election of the new pope captured social media this week as TikTokers flooded the platform with skits and memes about the sacred Catholic Church tradition.

How the papal conclave, for all its sacred mysteries, became a meme

The pomp, the vestments and the spectacle have always drawn attention, but no previous conclave was quite so online.

Papal Pop Culture: Social Media and the Two Conclaves

Back in October, I wrote an article on the fascination around Luca Guadagnino’s hit film Challengers, and the impact it had on tennis as a sport and in the media. The film gave the following summer’s Grand Slam Championships a new level of exposure, and created an online aesthetic for the sport based on the lifestyle of the characters involved. The role that social media played in creating a new image for tennis, based on the version of the spor…

The conclave is over, and with it the hype that young people had around it. In the past few days, videos, live updates and memes about the papal election have peaked on Tiktok. Where did that interest come from?

How the papal conclave became a pop culture phenomenon

For centuries the business of electing the next Pope was a secretive and mysterious affair – but today, thanks to social media, the conclave has become a much-memed spectacle