Vivat Academia (2025).

ISSN: 1575-2844

Received: 14/01/2025 Accepted: 06/03/2025 Published: 28/04/2025

HOLY WEEK BROTHERHOODS AND SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Francisco Javier Cristòfol Rodríguez: Malaga University - International University of la Rioja. Spain.

fjcristofol@uma.es

Diego Berraquero-Rodríguez: University of Sevilla. Spain.

diegobr@euosuna.org

Elena Cruz Ruiz: Malaga University. Spain.

ecruz@uma.es

How to cite this article:

Cristòfol, Francisco Javier; Berraquero-Rodríguez, Diego and Cruz Ruiz, Elena. (2025). Holy Week Brotherhoods and Social Media Marketing: a systematic review. Vivat Academia, 158, 1-20. https://doi.org/10.15178/va.2025.158.e1583

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Popular religiosity constructs one of the largest manifestations through the Holy Week of Andalusia. The COVID-19 pandemic triggered the use of social media as a tool for marketing, visibility, and promotion among the brotherhoods and their followers. This event prompted the brotherhoods to carry out arduous work, especially on social media. The aim of this study is to explore and understand the scientific evidence regarding social media and the brotherhoods of Holy Week, and to compare the positive effects of social media use on these brotherhoods. Methodology: This systematic review adheres to the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. The databases consulted were Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar. Results: The results showed 3,642 records, though only 35 met all the inclusion criteria. These records illustrate the link between social media and the brotherhoods of Holy Week. Conclusions: The study indicates that social media offers benefits to enhance the relationship and experience of the faithful with the brotherhoods of Holy Week, although there is still a long way to go to fully exploit its potential in terms of interaction and effective visibility.

Keywords: Systematic Review, Digital Marketing, Corporate Communication, Holy Week, Cofrade Marketing.

INTRODUCTION

Holy Week in Andalusia is one of the most significant cultural and religious events in southern Spain, drawing both devotees and tourists. The brotherhoods that organize these events have played a crucial role in preserving the tradition. Today, however, these institutions face the challenge of adapting to social changes, particularly about using social networks as tools for communication and promotion. These digital platforms have enabled brotherhoods to expand their reach, achieving a greater connection with faithful worldwide (Cancelo et al., 2015).

The impact of social media on Holy Week has been clearly reflected in the way brotherhoods use platforms like Facebook, Twitter, TikTok and Instagram to share information about processions and events. These media not only facilitate promotion, but also allow direct interaction with devotees, promoting greater participation and visibility (Becerra-Fernández & Díaz-Cuevas, 2022). Thus, social media has been key to the internationalization of Holy Week, offering a platform through which brotherhoods can connect with audiences beyond their local scope.

The COVID-19 pandemic marked a turning point in how religious brotherhoods used social media. Health authorities-imposed restrictions that prevented processions from taking place, leading brotherhoods to seek digital alternatives. According to Navarro (2020), many opted to stream masses and other religious events via platforms such as YouTube, allowing them to maintain tradition in difficult times. This change proved the resilience of religious institutions and their adaptability to new forms of communication.

The Catholic Church has recognized the importance of social media at the institutional level as a means of interacting with the faithful. Using these platforms has made it easier to develop two-way communication, where users can participate in religious discussions and events (Cancelo et al., 2015). This approach is particularly relevant for capturing the attention of younger generations, who see social media as an accessible way to engage with their faith and religious activities.

On the other hand, social media has proven to be a crucial tool for developing religious tourism. In places like Jerez de la Frontera and Cartagena, for example, the use of social media platforms has significantly increased tourism during Holy Week. Cano (2020) underlines that social media enables religious brotherhoods to share multimedia content that shows clearly the cultural and heritage richness of the events, thereby attracting visitors interested in cultural and religious experiences. In this way, social media not only expands the reach of religious celebrations but also strengthens local tourism, generating a positive economic impact in these regions.

However, despite advances in social media usage, significant challenges remain. Many religious orders have adopted social media without a clear strategy, which limits its effectiveness. Cristòfol et al. (2023) point out that some religious orders merely maintain a superficial presence on social media without leveraging its full potential to foster interaction with the faithful and enhance institutional communication. This phenomenon, known as the "presence effect," underscores the necessity of a strategic and structured approach to using digital platforms for religious institutions.

A notable aspect of social media usage is its ability to enhance the educational component of Holy Week. Fernández (2018) emphasizes how these platforms enable the broader dissemination of the educational value of processional sculptures, which not only have deep religious significance but also represent a valuable resource for teaching history, art, and cultural heritage. Social media provides access to detailed information about the historical and artistic context of processional images, fostering a deeper appreciation of Holy Week among a global audience.

Additionally, social media has proven essential for sharing real-time information about events related to Holy Week, such as weather conditions. Soriano and Pajares (2016) emphasize the importance of platforms like Twitter for providing immediate updates on the weather, which enable brotherhoods and devotees to make informed decisions about whether to hold processions. This type of information is crucial in an event as dependent on weather conditions as Holy Week.

Streaming religious events, especially on platforms like YouTube has expanded Holy Week beyond physical limitations, reaching audiences who cannot attend the processions in person due to distance or health reasons. Fernández and Sánchez (2018) analyze how this new form of participation has changed the way the faithful experience Holy Week, promoting greater inclusion and participation in the celebrations, even during crisis time like the COVID-19 pandemic.

In this sociocultural context, there is growing interest in the impact of social media on institutional and corporate communication in religious institutions, particularly in brotherhoods and confraternities. However, to date, there has been no systematic review that comprehensively analyzes the state of research in this field. This study addresses this gap by providing a structured, evidence-based overview of the development of research on social media and Holy Week brotherhoods. Additionally, the article highlights the evolution of digitalization within these organizations and its effect on interactions with the faithful, providing a better understanding of communication dynamics within religious contexts in the digital age. Based on this analysis, connections are established with emerging trends in institutional communication by religious associations, particularly following the surge in digital usage driven by the COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJETIVES

Based on the introduction, the following objectives have been set:

SO1: To analyze the characteristics of research on institutional and corporate communication by religious associations on social networks and digital media.

SO2: To analyze the conclusions and limitations of these studies, and to identify future trends.

Likewise, the presented objectives aim to answer the following research questions:

Q1: How has the research on institutional and corporate communication by religious organizations on social networks and digital media evolved over time?

Q2: Which journals publish the most on this topic?

Q3: What keywords are identified in literature?

Q4: Which geographical locations are studied to understand institutional and corporate communication by religious associations on social media?

Q5: What types of religious associations have been analyzed in the examined studies?

Q6: Which subtopics are analyzed in each study?

Q7. How many review articles, book chapters, books, and conference proceedings have been published?

Q8. What conclusions can be drawn from these works, and how can they be applied?

Q9. What are the main limitations presented in the articles?

Q10: What are the future trends?

METHODOLOGY

For this study, a key tool for evidence-based decision-making was used, namely systematic review (Morejón-Llamas et al., 2024; Berraquero et al., 2024). This methodology allows for the synthesis of available scientific information, increases the validity of individual study conclusions, and identifies areas of uncertainty requiring further research (González et al., 2011).

Based on this introduction, this systematic review was conducted following the criteria of the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) statement, a guideline designed to improve the quality of systematic review reporting. The PRISMA statement has been widely recommended and endorsed by over 200 journals and organizations related to this type of study (Ciapponi, 2021).

Thus, the selection of studies was based on a series of inclusion criteria, which were: (a) publications that explicitly address the relationship between social networks and the digital media usage and the brotherhoods belonging to Holy Week, and (b) publications written only in Spanish. The exclusion criteria were: (a) publications that did not meet the inclusion criteria and the relationship between Holy Week brotherhoods and digital media. No further limitations were determined due to the obvious lack of literature on the subject under study.

For this review, two researchers independently performed a bibliographic search in the Web of Science (WoS), Scopus and Google Scholar databases, without setting time limits. The selection of these databases responds to the need to offer a broad and rigorous vision of the subject. WoS and Scopus include articles published in journals indexed in the Journal Citation Report (JCR), while Google Scholar allows them to retrieve publications not registered in these databases, thus expanding the analyzed corpus.

To optimize searches, keywords that summarize the collection of records were correctly defined. To this end, a focus group was held among the study participants to determine the search strategy. The main term of the study was established as "Holy Week" ("Semana Santa"), combined with "social media," ("redes sociales"), and " brotherhoods" ("hermandades").

The information was collected in the “General Search” section by selecting the “All Fields” field. In addition, truncators and Boolean operators such as AND and OR were used to ensure that the largest number of scientific records were obtained.

The obtained records were completely independently analyzed and reviewed by the academics participating in this study, following the instructions determined and established by the PRISMA methodology.

RESULTS

Following the criteria established by the methodology of this study (PRISMA statement) for systematic reviews, a total of (n = 3,641) records were obtained from the selected search sources: Web of Science (n = 5) records, Scopus (n = 8) records, and Google Scholar (n = 3,628) records. This initial compilation shows an uneven distribution of references among the databases, highlighting Google Scholar’s prevalence of as the main source of relevant literature for this analysis.

In the first stage of refinement, two duplicate records were removed, resulting in a total of (n = 3,639) unique publications ready for the screening process. This process involved a detailed and exhaustive review of the titles and abstracts of the collected documents, strictly applying the previously defined inclusion and exclusion criteria.

The inclusion criteria focused on studies that explicitly addressed the use of social media by Holy Week brotherhoods, while articles that showed no connection to this topic were excluded, including those that focused on tangential topics or had a geographical context other than Andalusia.

During the screening process, (n = 3,604) records were discarded because they did not meet the established criteria. This step was essential to refining the set of relevant publications and ensuring that the review remained focused on and relevant to the subject of study. The most common reasons for exclusion were a lack of explicit relationship with Holy Week brotherhoods or a focus on other social media usages that did not provide valuable information for the intended analysis. This process left 39 records to be evaluated in detail in the eligibility phase.

During the eligibility phase, additional filters were applied based on an exhaustive analysis of each study's complete content. Here, a critical evaluation was carried out, considering the methodological aspects and theoretical relevance of the content. Thus, (n = 35) studies were ultimately included in the systematic review. These studies were selected for providing a comprehensive and rigorous analysis about the interaction between Holy Week brotherhoods and social media platforms, which is a central topic for understanding contemporary communication dynamics in this field. Each of these articles provides significant data and key findings that allow us obtain a broad overview of the studied phenomenon.

This entire methodological process is shown visually in the flowchart in Figure 1. This diagram facilitates understanding of the stages of record selection and refinement, offering a clear representation of how the initial set of (n = 3,641) documents was reduced to the (n = 35) final articles. Additionally, it highlights the rigorous methodology used to ensure that only highly relevant and high-quality studies were included.

Figure 1

Flowchart of the obtained records

Source: Own elaboration.

The selection process reflects compliance with methodological standards as well as the scarcity of research focused specifically on the relationship between Holy Week brotherhoods and social media usage. It is this gap in the literature that underscores the importance of the present review, which seeks to fill this space and contribute to a field of study that is under-explored but increasingly relevant in today's digital context and on whose development the authors are focused.

DISCUSSION

This study analyzes the current state of social media and digital media usage in Holy Week brotherhoods, a phenomenon that has been studied in specific contexts but without a systematic review to date. Previous research (Cancelo et al., 2015; De Santiago & Barba, 2023) has shown that religious organizations' increased presence on digital platforms has raised their visibility. However, Cristófol et al. (2023) point out that challenges remain in interacting with the faithful, as many brotherhoods adopt a digital presence without a defined strategy. In this sense, the findings of this study confirm that social media usage in this area is primarily for information and promotion, with low effective engagement. This result coincides with Alonso's (2015) observations on the digital communication of brotherhoods. He suggests that the lack of digital marketing training limits the impact of these strategies.

As shown in Table 1, the obtained records are broken down into several types of publications: 18 articles, 9 bachelor's or master's theses, 4 book chapters, 3 publications in national conference proceedings, and 1 book. Of these, 17 focus specifically on social media as tools for raising awareness and promoting religious brotherhoods and institutions. Six records link social media to tourism, highlighting Holy Week as a cultural event. Three records analyze the impact of streaming and video consumption on brotherhoods, while two publications address Holy Week as an educational element. Two records address religious institutions as brands, and two others describe the Church's work on social media. One record refers to social media and processional music, while another explores the dissemination of weather information as a factor influencing Holy Week in the public sphere.

Table 1

Records obtained from scientific evidence

Author/Authors	Year	Theme	Article typology	Publication means	Title
Sánchez, E	2019	Tourism	Article	Redmarka. Journal of Applied Marketing	Promoting a tourist destination through social media.
Prieto, J.	2014	Communication	Proceedings	Arte y Semana Santa. Proceedings on National Congress held in Monóvar	Brotherhoods and ICTs: opportunities for managing and promoting the cultural heritage of religious brotherhoods.
Conejero, A. J.	2014	Communication	Final Degree Project	Final Degree Project. University of Sevilla	The Seville press on social media: Twitter and Facebook.
Rubio-García, R.	2014	Communication	Article	Studies on the Journalistic Message	Twitter and the Agenda-Setting Theory: Messages from Digital Public Opinion.
Alonso, M	2015	Communication	Article	Pangea. Journal of the Ibero-American Academic Network of Communication	Holy Week brotherhoods and social media. New technologies at the service of religious information.
Cancelo, M., Rebeil, M. A. and Gabino, M. A.	2015	Church as an Iglesia institution	Article	International Journal of Public Relations	Institutional communication of the Catholic Church through social media.
Zamarra-López, M. M	2015	Communication	Article	Studies on the Journalistic Message	Analysis of the most influential Spanish digital newspapers and their social media presence.
Cárdenas, P.	2015	Communication	Final Degree Project	Final Degree Project Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos	Public organizations communicating digitally through social media.
Soriano, J-D. and Pajares, D.	2016	Meteorology	Proceedings	Proceedingss of the XXXIV Scientific Conference of the Spanish Meteorological Association.	Weather, Public Service, and Social Media. Holy Week in Seville.
Giraldo, C. and Martínez, M. D.	2016	Tourism	Article	ROTUR: Journal on Leisure and Tourism	Analysis of the activity and presence of the main Spanish hotel chains on Facebook and other social networks.
Raboso, D.	2016	Communication	Article	Didactical Publications	The Cultural Heritage of Holy Week in Spain: Contemporary Imagery and Heritage Management in Brotherhoods and Confraternities.
Esparza, A.	2017	Communication	Final Degree Project	Final Degree Project. Polytechnic University of Cartagena	The economic impact of Cartagena's Holy Week.
Alonso, M., Ríos, F. D. and Ruíz, M.	2017	Communication	Chapter	In Journalism and Sponsorship in Seville	Sponsorship and Media from the Brotherhood of Glory.
Fernández, A. R. and Sánchez, R.	2018	Streaming	Article	Journal of Communication and Information Sciences	The YouTube revolution and its influence on the construction of local identities during the Holy Week.
Fernández, A. R.	2018	Edication	Book	The Didactics of Holy Week: Pedagogies for the Collective. Abya Yala, University Publishing House	The educational significance of Holy Week in contemporary society.
Calvo, L. M., Cantero, J. I. and Serrano, A.	2019	Communication	Article	Doctoral Thesis. Catholic University San Antonio de Murcia	Transmedia communication in popular celebrations. The case of Holy Week in Cuenca.
Fernández, A. R.	2019	Brand	Article	Pregón Journal	Sculpture and Holy Week 2.0 as means of constructing local identities
Cartes, M. J.	2019	Communication	Article	Question/Cuestión Journal	Analysis of the Rocio brotherhoods' presence on social media.
Cano, R.	2020	Tourism	Chapter	Communication and media consumption on social networks and virtual communities (pp. 85-108). Egregius Publishing House.	Holy Week in Jerez in the digital environment: Social media as a tool for declaring international tourist interest.
Camacho, L.	2020	Communication	Master's Thesis	Master's Thesis Santo Tomás University	Digital marketing as a positioning strategy for Holy Week in Tunja.
Navarro, E.	2020	Streaming	Article	Question/Cuestión Journal	From the altar to streaming: The explosion of religious events on social media during the COVID-19 years.
Fructuoso	2020	Tourism	Final Degree Project	Master's Thesis. Polytechnic University of Cartagena	Analysis of Holy Week processions in Cartagena: current situation and prospects. Action strategies.
Julcahuanca, D.	2020	Communication	Final Degree Project	Final Degree Project. César Vallejo University.	Effective communication and social media in a Christian organization, San Martín de Porres, 2020.
Soro, V.	2020	Tourism	Final Degree Project	Final Degree Project. Jaume I University	Arse Cultural: A hyperlocal publication that specializes in providing cultural information about Sagunto city and the town of Puerto de Sagunto.
Arrufat, S.	2021	Communication	Article	Vivat Academia	The Spanish media in times of pandemic: news generation on social media during COVID-19.
Rodriguez, A., Zuque da Fonseca, G. and Alves, R. A.	2021	Communication	Article	E/C	Holy Week online? Ways of presence of the Catholic Church in the pandemic.
Castillo, I. S.	2021	Brand	Final Degree Project	Final Degree Project. University of Lima	Rebranding: Identity manual of the Youth Ministry of the Santa Rosa de Lima Parish in Lince.
Becerra-Fernández, D. and Díaz-Cuevas, P.	2022	Tourism	Article	International Humanities Review	Geolocated social networks for the characterization and assessment of public spaces: The squares of Seville's Old Town district.
Cristófol, F. J., Segarra-Saavedra, J. and Cristófol-Rodríguez, C.	2023	Communication	Article	Ámbitos. International Communication Journal	Use of Twitter and media coverage of Holy Week in Andalusia following the suspension of processions due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
De Santiago, M. and Barba, R.	2023	Church	Article	Comunica360	Communication strategies for evangelization through social media: the case of the Catholic community “Stay with Us” (“Quédate con Nosotros”).
Miguel, G.	2024	Communication	Article	Revista Folia Histórica del Nordeste	Devotion and digital social media. The mediatization of the Feast of the Lord of Miracles of Mailín during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sáez, E. M.	2016	Communication	Proceedings	Proceedings of the I International Congress on Communication and Thought. Communicracy and social development. Seville: Egregius.	Communication strategies of Seville’s General Council of Brotherhoods and Fraternities: A view from institutional communication.
Bachmann-Fuentes, I., Caballero, V. J. and Crespo, S.	2017	Music	Chapter	Journalism and Processional Music in Seville (77-89), Seville: University of Sevilla.	Processional Music in the Free Media in Seville Province.
Fernández, A. R.	2018	Education	Chapter	Teaching about Holy Week. Pedagogies for the community. Ecuador: Abyayala. Salesian Polytechnic University	Processional imagery in teaching and learning social sciences: inherent pedagogies.
Sánchez, A.	2019	Communication	Final Degree Project	Final Degree Project. University of Sevilla	The social evolution of the brotherhoods of Seville.

Source: Own elaboration

Studies by Cancelo et al. (2015) and Santiago and Barba (2023) highlight how the Catholic Church has adopted new information technologies to enhance interaction with its faithful and promote more effective two-way communication. The transition to the digital era has led religious institutions to adopt rebranding strategies that update and adapt their image for emerging digital platforms (Castillo, 2021; Fernández, 2019). This process has not only facilitated greater reach and more fluid communication, but has also allowed religious institutions to connect with younger and more diverse audiences in an ever-evolving digital environment.

Research by Fernández and Sánchez (2018) and Navarro (2020) show that Holy Week has not been immune to the technological revolution, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic. Platforms such as YouTube and streaming services allow living these religious events virtually, consumption of cofrade and processional music (Bachmann-Fuentes et al., 2017) originating a greater expansion in its scope.

The economic and tourism impact of Holy Week has been consolidated as a key dimension of the phenomenon, confirming the role of social media in promoting religious tourism (Becerra-Fernández & Díaz-Cuevas, 2022; Fructuoso, 2020). However, the results of this study suggest that visibility on social media does not necessarily translate into an effective tourism attraction strategy. Cano (2020) highlights that many brotherhoods use social media merely as showcases, lacking a content strategy that encourages public participation. This aligns with Soro's (2020) findings on the management of digital communication in religious events, which emphasize the need to adopt a more professional approach to promoting religious tourism through digital platforms.

In this context, the social media usage has proven to be an effective tool for promoting religious tourism, facilitating the promotion of events and attracting visitors interested in cultural and religious experiences (Julcahuanca, 2021). Digital platforms allow for the wider and more accessible dissemination of festivities, improving the visibility of processions and related activities, and, consequently, contributing to the increase of tourist flow and economic dynamization of these localities. The growing involvement of digital communication in society has benefited tourism around the Holy Week, largely thanks to the implementation of strategic plans supported by digital marketing actions. An example of this is the case of the city of Tunja (Colombia), where the brotherhoods have taken advantage of these strategies to increase the visibility and promotion of their religious events, as detailed by Camacho (2020).

Along these lines, the pedagogical component of Holy Week has experienced a notable strengthening thanks to the social media usage. Fernández (2018) points out that these platforms not only increase the visibility of the festivities, but also emphasize the educational value of processional sculptures. Beyond their deep religious significance, these sculptures play a crucial role in teaching history, art, and cultural heritage. Social media allows for the wider dissemination of this educational aspect by facilitating access to detailed information and fostering a greater appreciation of the historical and artistic context behind processional images. Thus, social media contributes to the cultural and educational legacy of Holy Week, reaching a wider and more diverse audience and enriching collective knowledge about this tradition.

However, the impact of the of COVID-19 pandemic is a landmark event in the digital tool usage. During confinement, social media platforms such as Twitter (Barrientos-Báez et al., 2022; Cárdenas, 2015; Rubio-García, 2014; Zamarra-López, 2015), Instagram, and Facebook became essential tools for transmitting messages of faith, sharing historical content (Raboso, 2016), and organizing virtual events such as mass and prayer services (Domene-Martos et al., 2021; Rodrígues et al., 2021; Miguel, 2024). These networks also fostered solidarity and helped communities during times of isolation (Baraybar-Fernández et al., 2020). In particular, Twitter has played a crucial role in Andalusian Holy Week by enabling the immediate dissemination of information about processions, schedules, weather affecting the area (Soriano and Pajares, 2016), and changes, which strengthens the sense of community (Alonso et al., 2017).

Finally, brotherhoods have adapted their communication to the new digital paradigm by using transmedia narrative strategies to reinforce their image and maintain tradition alive in a fragmented environment (Calvo et al., 2019). Cases such as the Board of Brotherhoods of Cuenca (Junta de Cofradías de Cuenca) and the Council of Brotherhoods of Seville (Consejo de Hermandades de Sevilla) (Sáez, 2016) show how brotherhoods have generated brand communities and enhanced their media presence (Alonso, 2015).

Despite these advances, important challenges remain that limit the effectiveness of brotherhoods' social media usage. Cristófol et al. (2023) identified the "being effect," whereby many brotherhoods have a digital presence without a defined strategy for generating meaningful interactions. Studies on religious institutional communication have also pointed out this lack of planning (Cartes, 2019; Sáez, 2016), highlighting the need for training in digital marketing and social media management to maximize impact. Additionally, one of the main limitations observed in this review is the paucity of studies analyzing engagement measurement and the effectiveness of implemented digital strategies. Future research should focus on evaluating interaction metrics and developing more effective digital communication models for religious institutions, which would improve their presence and the reach of their messages in the digital environment.

CONCLUSIONS

The main objective of the study is to determine the state of the scientific community's usage of social networks and digital media as a corporate and institutional communication tool for religious associations.

SO1 sought to study the characteristics of the scientific evidence on the issue under study in terms of its evolution over time, the most prolific support in this area, geographical locations that have been part of the object of study, religious organizations participating in the sample, sub-themes analyzed and type of publications made, and which concludes that COVID-19 stands as a historical fact that drives digitization in the religious sphere as indicated by Cristófol et al. (2023) and Miguel (2024). However, the first research emerged in 2014 with the inclusion of ICT. In 2019, there was an explosion of research on social media usage by the scientific community, coinciding with an increase in official profiles and the frequency of publications in the institutions' own social media accounts (Cartes, 2019; Sáez, 2016). It should be noted that peer-review articles in social science journals are the media that publish the most on the issue analyzed. Similarly, most analyzed records narrate an institutional and corporate communicative component, despite the fact that six studies show the promotional component of social media around religiosity. In this line, the systematic review includes publications that analyze both national and international areas, showing a significant inclination toward Andalusia (Spain).

The purpose of SO2 was to analyze the conclusions, limitations and the future of these studies, approaching a critical reflection that allows the improvement of the scientific evidence of social networks as corporate and institutional communication tools in religious organizations. The analyzed studies reveal that the COVID-19 pandemic boosted the use of religious and confrere communication, highlighting the adaptation to young audiences and the spectacularism of live and online content, as well as the promotional and informative actions generated by institutional and corporate communication. However, although digital communication offers significant opportunities for tourism growth and the visibility for brotherhoods and other religious organizations, the lack of proper planning can limit its impact. This highlights the importance of a more strategic and coherent management to avoid falling into the simple “being” in networks without generating tangible value.

This study's findings provide insight into the current state of research on the digitization of Brotherhoods and Fraternities, as well as their integration into institutional communication strategies on social networks. Unlike previous studies that approached the phenomenon from isolated perspectives, this systematic review provides a comprehensive overview of trends, methodologies, and research gaps in this field. This work's main contribution lies in identifying patterns of digital adoption, highlighting existing limitations, and proposing future lines of research at the intersection of popular religiosity and digital communication. Additionally, the results can serve as a reference to design more effective strategies in the communication management of religious associations, optimizing the social media usage to promote interaction, visibility, and engagement with their communities.

Although this study met its objectives and answered its research questions, it has certain limitations. The main limitation is the small sample size due to the scarcity of previous studies on the subject.

Given the expected increase in publications in this field, it is suggested that this systematic review be replicated in the 2024-2025 academic year. This growth is a response to the church's increasing awareness of the importance of social media as a tool for institutional and corporate communication.

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AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONS, FUNDING AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Author contributions:

Conceptualization: Berraquero Rodríguez, Diego and Cristòfol, Francisco J. Data Curation: Berraquero Rodríguez, Diego. Writing-Preparation of the original draft: Berraquero Rodríguez, Diego and Cristòfol, Francisco J. Writing-Revision and Editing: Berraquero Rodríguez, Diego, Cristòfol, Francisco J. and Cruz Ruiz, Elena. Visualization: Berraquero Rodríguez, Diego. Supervision: Cristòfol, Francisco J. Project management: Berraquero Rodríguez, Diego, Cristòfol, Francisco J. and Cruz Ruiz, Elena. All authors have read and accepted the published version of the manuscript: Berraquero Rodríguez, Diego, Cristòfol, Francisco J. and Cruz Ruiz, Elena.

Funding: This research did not receive any external funding.

Conflict of interest: None.

AUTHOR(S):

Francisco J. Cristòfol: Mr. Cristòfol holds a Ph.D. in Journalism and is a PhD candidate a Ph.D. in Economics and Business at the University of Málaga. He has an official Master's Degree in Journalism (CEU) and an Official Master's degree in teaching (UMA, for its acronym in Spanish). He has a Master's in GESCO (ESIC, for its acronym in Spanish) and a European Higher Program in Digital Marketing (ICEMD, for its acronym in Spanish). His lines of research are related to marketing and corporate communication as part of his second doctoral thesis. He also conducts research in territorial branding, journalism, and political communication. He is currently a professor at the International University of La Rioja (UNIR, for its acronym in Spanish) and has been part of the faculty at the Loyola University of Andalusia, the European University, the Open University of Catalonia, the Autonomous University of Bucaramanga (Colombia), and the University of the Sacred Heart (Puerto Rico).

fjcristofol@uma.es

franciscojavier.cristofol@unir.net

Orcid ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0967-3514

Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.es/citations?user=MIe2_OcAAAAJ&hl=es

Scopus: https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=57209773312

Diego Berraquero-Rodríguez: Mr. Berraquero holds a Ph.D. from the Catholic University of San Antonio in Murcia for his thesis on the "Influence of Social Media as a Corporate Communication Tool in the Digital Strategy of Promotion and Management of the Asobal League". He is currently responsible for communication, advertising, and marketing at the University School of Osuna (a center under the charge of the University of Seville) and he researches the impact of social media on consumers and audiences. Mr. Berraquero has a bachelor's degree in Labor Relations and Human Resources and a master's degrees in Sales and Marketing Management from ESIC and in Digital Marketing and Social Media Management from UEMC. His research focuses on digital communication and the effect of social media in various sectors. He has been published in high-impact journals (JCR-SJR) and has participated in scientific committees, as well as organizing conferences and academic events.

diegobr@euosuna.org

Orcid ID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-4238-0098

Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.es/citations?user=i5I7z6cAAAAJ&hl=es

Elena Cruz Ruiz: Elena holds a Ph.D. in Economics and a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration and Management from the University of Málaga in Spain. She also holds a Master's degree in Tourism Management and Planning. She is an assistant professor in the Department of Business Economics, specializing in marketing and market research. She is a member of the “Mediterranean Economy” research group (SEJ-121, for it is acronym in Spanish), and her primary research interests include wine tourism, gastronomy, territorial brands, and female entrepreneurship. She is currently involved in several research projects, including "The Challenge of Natural Wine Certification: Cultural Controversies, Information Asymmetries, and Consumption Patterns" by the Ministry of Science and Innovation (PID2021-126272OA-I00), which focuses on tourism Marketing; "Communication Management in Women-Led Startups: Competitive Strategies for Differentiation and Innovation (COmMUp)" by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and the University of Málaga (PID2022-139037OB-I00). In this project, she conducts research using Neuromarketing techniques.

ecruz@uma.es

Orcid ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8334-3900

Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.es/citations?user=QofYj7cAAAAJ&hl=es

ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Elena-Cruz-Ruiz