It is a new age for Latter-day Saint proselytizing, prompted by internet avenues popular among millennials and Gen Zers and by the pandemic. But are entertaining videos really successful at conveying the church’s Christian gospel?
Some of the two-minute videos were produced by the church, but members were encouraged to make ones for themselves, unfiltered by the higher-ups, saysThese days the Latter-day Saint professor has been reading and writing on “the tensions between how the church works and how these online platforms work,” he says. “In short, what is ‘authoritative’ on a technology/media platform doesn’t always line up with what is authoritative from the church’s point of view.
Both kinds of accounts “are drawing from the internet/influencer cultures of these platforms,” he says. “On one hand, that’s a smart move, and it makes a lot of sense, but online platforms have their own embedded values, and they may not always be compatible. The church has long been nervous about assimilating too much into the cultures it goes into, and I wonder how much concern there is here.
Church leaders “may be worried about social media disasters, and there may be some down the line,” Blythe says. “But many have been moved by the diverse expressive testimonies being presented on TikTok. I think overall, it’s a worthwhile experiment.
“Savannah does three things with respect to social media. She creates content. She brainstorms campaigns, writes scripts, films, edits and produces social media-ready videos. She also trains other missionaries,” says her father, Jay Cobb. “She created training aids and over the course of time she trained other missionaries how to create compelling content. She also helps the other missionaries assigned as Facebook page coordinators post and keep up with social media.
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