From Influencer to Witness: What Manila Taught Me About Digital Mission

September 23, 2026: Returning from the Asian Digital Missionary Assembly, I came home with more than memories and friendships. I came back with a renewed understanding that the digital world is not merely a place to create content, but a mission field where people are searching for meaning, hope and God.

By Fr Felix Anthony, India

When I left Manila after the Asian Digital Missionary Assembly, I carried home photographs, memories and new friendships. But something more important travelled back with me — a renewed understanding of what digital ministry means and a deeper conviction that the digital world is not simply a space where content is created. It is a mission field waiting to be evangelised.

Being chosen to represent India at the Assembly by the Media Office of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) was both a privilege and a moment of gratitude. I am particularly thankful to Fr Cyril Victor, Media Coordinator of CCBI, for giving me the opportunity to be part of this gathering.

For someone engaged in Catholic media ministry, the experience was both encouraging and challenging. It made me look again at what I do, why I do it and, perhaps most importantly, for whom I do it.

A family across Asia

The Assembly brought together priests, religious and digital missionaries from across Asia. I had the blessing of meeting fellow missionaries from the Philippines, China, South Korea, Hong Kong, Cambodia, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam and other parts of the continent.

We came from different cultures. We spoke different languages. Our pastoral situations were often very different, and so were our experiences of the digital world.

Yet, there was an extraordinary sense of fraternity.

We were united by one desire: to bring Christ into the digital spaces where people live, communicate, search and ask questions.

Listening to the stories of other missionaries was one of the most enriching parts of the gathering. Their enthusiasm, struggles and perseverance renewed my own hope.

Digital ministry can sometimes be a lonely mission. We create, post, respond and move on, often without knowing who has been touched by what we have shared. The numbers may tell us how many people saw something, but they rarely tell us what happened in a person's heart.

Meeting others engaged in the same mission reminded me that I am not alone.

I came to believe even more strongly that God had brought us together — from different countries, cultures and pastoral realities — to remind us that this mission ultimately belongs to Him.

Beyond algorithms and numbers

Perhaps the greatest change the Assembly brought to my thinking was the way I now look at the people who encounter my content.

It is easy for anyone involved in digital media to become absorbed in numbers: views, likes, shares, comments and followers.

But behind every screen is a person.

A person may be searching for meaning. Someone else may be looking for peace. Another may be lonely, wounded or struggling with faith. Someone may simply need to hear a word of encouragement on a difficult day.

That realisation changes the meaning of digital ministry.

A view is not merely a statistic. It could be a person who needed hope.

A comment is not merely engagement. It could be a question from someone wrestling with faith, pain or doubt.

The digital missionary therefore has to learn to see beyond the screen.

From influencer to evangeliser

The Assembly also challenged me to reconsider how I understand my own media ministry.

I have often thought of myself as a content creator and, in some ways, an influencer. But I increasingly feel called to move from being an influencer to becoming an evangeliser.

There is a fundamental difference.

An influencer can draw attention towards himself or herself.

An evangeliser ultimately points beyond himself — towards Christ.

This distinction also changes the way I respond to criticism and negative comments. Not every disagreement needs to become an argument. Not every criticism needs a defence.

Sometimes a difficult digital encounter can become an opportunity for Christian witness.

I do not have to win every argument.

I have to remain faithful to the One whom I represent.

Who influences the influencer?

Perhaps the most important question I brought home from Manila was a simple one:

Before I try to influence others, who is influencing me?

For me, the answer has to be Jesus Christ.

If digital ministry is truly missionary, prayer cannot be separated from content creation. I need to pray before I create. I need to ask not only, Will this video perform well? but also, Will this help someone encounter Christ?

The algorithm may determine how widely something travels.

But prayer must determine why I create it in the first place.

Jesus is my first follower

One of the most memorable reflections I encountered at the Assembly came during a conversation with a Sister from China.

We were talking about our lives as digital content creators and about our constant preoccupation with algorithms, followers, likes and shares.

Then came a simple question:

Who is my first follower?

For me, the answer is Jesus Christ.

Before I followed Him, He followed me.

Before I knew Him, He knew me.

And even when I failed to follow Him faithfully, He never "unfollowed" me.

People may follow today and unfollow tomorrow. Algorithms change. Numbers rise and fall. Content becomes popular and then disappears.

But Christ remains faithful.

He never unfollows me.

That thought has stayed with me since Manila.

My content may not always be brilliant. My life is certainly not without flaws. I will make mistakes. But if Jesus is my first follower, then I want to create content that is worthy of that first follower.

A missionary presence on every screen

The Assembly left me with a simple but demanding challenge: become a witness.

A witness does not merely speak about something. A witness allows his or her life to testify to what has been encountered.

For me, this means allowing my digital presence to become an extension of my priestly and missionary vocation.

The goal is not simply to gain followers.

It is to help people encounter the One whom I follow.

The goal is not simply to create content.

It is to create opportunities for encounter.

The goal is not to make people remember my name.

It is to help them remember that God has not forgotten them.

I returned from Manila grateful for the people I met, the stories I heard and the fraternity I experienced across Asia.

But above all, I returned with a renewed sense of mission.

From influencer to evangeliser.

From content creator to witness.

From seeking followers to remembering my First Follower.

And perhaps my prayer for this new chapter of digital ministry is simply this:

Jesus, You are my first follower.

Help me create content that is worthy of You.

May every screen become a doorway to hope,

every post an opportunity for encounter,

and every digital connection a small step towards You.

Fr Felix Anthony

Digital Media Missionary, India