class: center, middle, inverse, title-slide .title[ # Geographical and Digital Borders in the Community of Christ Toronto Congregation ] .author[ ### Spencer P. Greenhalgh and Ray Celeste Tanner ] .institute[ ### College of Communication and Information, University of Kentucky ] .date[ ### GMS 2023 Conference: 29 May - 4 June 2023 ] --- background-color: gray class: center, middle # background --- # an intentionally global approach -- * ### 1950s see RLDS expansion outside USA, Western Europe (Scherer, 2016) -- * ### in 1960, RLDS "General Conference" is renamed "World Conference" (Howlett, 2022) -- * ### globalization and indigenization fuel liberal-conservative divide (Howlett, 2020) --- # demographic challenges -- * ### in 1980s and 1990s, loss of "half of... tithing, middle-class American members" (Howlett, 2020, p. 655) -- * ### "The decreasing membership of Community of Christ is part of the general decline of religion." (Jorgensen, 2019) -- * ### "You live in a world with new challenges, and that world will require new forms of ministry." (D&C 162:2c [McMurray, 2004]) --- # digital opportunities -- * ### "Members of the [cyber]congregation are... from many countries" (Robison, 2003) -- * ### in September 2019, the First Presidency allows for online participation in communion -- * ### "The last thing we want... is to return to 'normal' church life that did not include a broad array of opportunities for online connection." (Veazey, 2021) --- background-color: gray class: center, middle # study context --- # Toronto Congregation -- * ### decline in membership starting in 1960s -- * ### in 2010s, congregation moves to smaller mixed-use facility -- * ### online/hybrid worship as early as 2015 --- background-color: gray class: center, middle # purpose --- class: center, middle # explore geographical and digital borders --- background-color: gray class: center, middle # methods --- # ethics and positionality -- * ### public internet data requires ethical reflection (e.g., Markham & Buchanan, 2012) -- * ### we bring insider and outsider perspectives to this paper (see Decoo, 2022) --- # digital methods -- * ### reviewed worship services streamed and archived to YouTube and Facebook; 26 Jan 2020 through 23 Jan 2022 -- * ### combination of automatic (web scraping, application programming interface) and manual (qualitative coding) data collection --- # data sources -- * ## geographical data -- * ### when possible, collected participation type, name, location (city, region, country), language -- * ### did not collect data for non-worship participation, non-sermon contributions by presiding individual, rebroadcasts --- # data sources -- * ## platform data -- * ### Facebook: video title, views, likes, loves, comments, shares -- * ### YouTube: video title, views, likes, comments --- background-color: gray class: center, middle # results --- class: center, middle # contextual overview --- class: center ## 26 January 2020: local service streamed online  --- class: center ## 9 February 2020: guest minister on Zoom  --- class: center ## 15 March 2020: begins to move fully online  --- class: center ## 29 March 2020: non-English participation  --- class: center ## 7 June 2020: non-English sermon  --- class: center ## 22 November 2020: sermon by prophet-president  --- class: center, middle # geographic borders --- # participation -- * ## 308 unique participants -- * ## 20 unique countries -- * ## 38 unique languages --- class: center # contributions (not individuals) per country <table> <thead> <tr> <th style="text-align:left;"> country </th> <th style="text-align:right;"> n </th> <th style="text-align:right;"> percent </th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td style="text-align:left;"> USA </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 317 </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 48.03 </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left;"> Canada </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 265 </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 40.15 </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left;"> French Polynesia </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 27 </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 4.09 </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left;"> Belgium </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 11 </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 1.67 </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left;"> El Salvador </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 10 </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 1.52 </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left;"> Germany </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 10 </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 1.52 </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left;"> UK </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 9 </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 1.36 </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left;"> France </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 6 </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 0.91 </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left;"> Italy </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 5 </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 0.76 </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> --- class: center # contributions (not individuals) per U.S. state <table> <thead> <tr> <th style="text-align:left;"> region </th> <th style="text-align:right;"> n </th> <th style="text-align:right;"> percent </th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td style="text-align:left;"> Missouri </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 99 </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 47.37 </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left;"> Michigan </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 39 </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 18.66 </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left;"> Utah </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 19 </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 9.09 </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left;"> Washington </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 15 </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 7.18 </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left;"> Ohio </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 14 </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 6.70 </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left;"> Oregon </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 12 </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 5.74 </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left;"> Idaho </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 11 </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 5.26 </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> --- class: center # contributions (not individuals) per Canadian province <table> <thead> <tr> <th style="text-align:left;"> region </th> <th style="text-align:right;"> n </th> <th style="text-align:right;"> percent </th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td style="text-align:left;"> Ontario </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 204 </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 76.98 </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left;"> Alberta </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 26 </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 9.81 </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left;"> Québec </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 14 </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 5.28 </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left;"> British Columbia </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 10 </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 3.77 </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left;"> Saskatchewan </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 10 </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 3.77 </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left;"> Manitoba </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 1 </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 0.38 </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> --- class: center # contributions (not individuals) per language <table> <thead> <tr> <th style="text-align:left;"> language </th> <th style="text-align:right;"> n </th> <th style="text-align:right;"> percent </th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td style="text-align:left;"> English </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 580 </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 83.82 </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left;"> French </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 53 </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 7.66 </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left;"> Spanish </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 27 </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 3.90 </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left;"> German </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 8 </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 1.16 </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left;"> Multiple </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 5 </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 0.72 </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left;"> Dutch </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 4 </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 0.58 </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left;"> Hawaiian </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 3 </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 0.43 </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left;"> Lingala </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 3 </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 0.43 </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left;"> Norwegian </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 3 </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 0.43 </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left;"> Italian </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 2 </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 0.29 </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left;"> Kinyarwanda </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 2 </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 0.29 </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left;"> Tahitian </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 2 </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 0.29 </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> --- class: center, middle # digital borders --- class: center # summary of viewer engagement <table> <thead> <tr> <th style="text-align:left;"> </th> <th style="text-align:right;"> total </th> <th style="text-align:right;"> Facebook </th> <th style="text-align:right;"> YouTube </th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td style="text-align:left;"> views </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 3852.13 </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 2831.23 </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 1020.90 </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left;"> likes </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 84.06 </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 44.28 </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 39.78 </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left;"> loves </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 50.01 </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 50.01 </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 0.00 </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left;"> shares </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 28.75 </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 28.75 </td> <td style="text-align:right;"> 0.00 </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> --- class: center # views over time <!-- --> --- # other key differences -- * ### video titles on Facebook almost always different than on YouTube -- * ### "loves" and "shares" only on Facebook -- * ### YouTube and Facebook count "views" differently --- background-color: gray class: center, middle # conclusions --- # promise of digital technologies -- * ## Community of Christ is intentionally global, faces demographic challenges, and is open to new forms of ministry -- * ## contributions from 308 people, representing 20 countries and 38 unique languages -- * ### as yet unexplored: geographic and linguistic diversity of audience -- * ### caveat: dominated by North America and by English --- class: center, middle # "Veazey welcomed the first delegates to participate in a legislative session via the Internet. [...] An extended effort was made before Conference to include the church in the Democratic Republic of Congo, but the connection wasn’t feasible for technical reasons." 2023 World Conference Monday Bulletin --- # introduction of new digital borders -- * ## Facebook participants separated from YouTube participants -- * ## Facebook experience differs from YouTube experience --- class: center, middle # "a platform... is a mediator rather than an intermediary: it shapes the performance of social acts instead of merely facilitating them" (van Dijck, 2013, p. 29) --- class: center, middle # thank you! ## looking forward to questions on Slack