I have recently seen billboards, television commercials and yard signs promoting two separate web sites. One is Mormon.org and the other is CatholicsComeHome.org. I recognized the campaign for the Mormon Church before the Catholic campaign but I thought it was an interesting topic to discuss. If you visit each site, you will notice social network aspects on both. On the Mormon website, you can create a profile and search for other Mormons who may have similar life experiences. The intent of this post is not to pass judgment on either side but rather to discuss this trend in digital communication. What is it about this platform that intrigues different religious groups? Keep in mind, these are not small sites run by local groups - these are the big national or international groups - the religion headquarters if you will. The other question I thought of was, does this medium change the message (i.e. is it conveyed differently to the audience versus old methods of promoting religion) that is being conveyed by the respective bodies?
Any thoughts?
Mormon
Catholic
(I originally wrote this before last night's discussion but now I am having additional thoughts. It is interesting to apply Aristotle's writings to these websites. Are the websites epidictic, judicial, deliberative? What is their style? How does logos, pathos and ethos apply?)
Those websites are very interesting. I believe they intrigue different religious groups because people are naturally curious about religions that are different than their own. These websites are also extremely easy to access. You don't have to ask someone in person about the religion or feel that you are being forced to convert, and you can look up the information any time you want. It is the mormons that walk around knocking on random doors to preach the word, correct? Well, I don't believe this medium changes the message, but more or less just changes the way the message is accessed. In relating to Aristotle, the mormon.org site applied ethos in an exceptional way. When you first go to the website, it flashes pictures of people and gives a small description of them. The descriptions are an attempt to evoke emotion from the reader. The pictures themselves are of people smiling. This is interesting how the website goes hand in hand with the theories of rhetoric.
ReplyDeleteoops, forgot to correct this before sending it. replace ethos with pathos..sorry about that!
ReplyDeleteI think that these billboards and their related Websites are intended to try to counteract or dispel some of the myths or prejudices that persist about both of these faith traditions. Because of shows like Big Love and Sister Wives which explore subjects like polygamy, there may be a distorted view among the general public about what it means to be a Mormom. Likewise, much of the news coverage about the Catholic faith recently has focused on the child-abuse scandal within the priesthood and other negative issues. This seems to be a concerted effort on the part of both of these religious institutions to appear more hip and contemporary, perhaps in an effort to curry public favor or attract more converts. The Web sites certainly do a good job of making these faith systems seem appealing, modern and mainstream.
ReplyDeleteSister Wives
http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/tv/sister-wives)
I agree with John's statement that these new advertising campaigns (if that is what you want to call them) are an attempt and probably a successful one, at distancing common images associated with these religions from the religions themselves. Instead of focusing on the stereotypes, people watching these advertisements are faced with individuals who could be their neighbor/co-worker/or best friend. Allowing them to be more approachable.
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