SScrolling through our Twitter feeds over the past few weeks, we’ve seen some familiar Christian names, from David French has Sam Allberry, disconnection from the platform. Many others wonder out loud if they want to stay longer.
“Yet another person I really like to follow left this platform yesterday,” » tweeted Bible teacher Beth Moore., who has amassed nearly a million followers on the site. “I might not last long here either. Shoot, I might close my account tomorrow.
Since its acquisition by business mogul Elon Musk last year, the microblogging platform has changed more than just its name. Its original verification system for journalists and public figures is gone, replaced by blue checkmarks (and a host of other benefits, including “priority rankings”) for users. paying subscribers. In October, the platform removed headlines from articles and announced that new users might have to start paying $1 per month to try to combat bots.
For many loyal Twitter users, including Christians, these changes have made “the bird site” more difficult to navigate: less egalitarian and more paid, less a source of verified information and interesting ideas and more a source of confusion.
Over the past year, “Hemorrhaged” users and advertisers. A May 2023 Pew Research survey found that a majority of U.S. users have took a break from the platform over the past year; a quarter said they probably wouldn’t use it in a year. Those who stayed saw engagement on their posts decline, while spam, trolling, and vitriol remained.
“I think the worse Twitter’s situation gets, from a user experience perspective, the more it begs the question: ‘Why am I putting up with this anyway?’ » said a New Testament scholar and New York Times journalist Esau McCaulley. “To say we have to pay for this, otherwise we’re going to keep making things worse, worse and worse… Now I have to start again and rebuild my audience. Is it worth it?”
On a platform that “rewards antagonism,” McCaulley said he’s had to make a conscious effort to avoid retweeting and screenshotting his opponents, thereby avoiding “forming communities around mutual disdain “. Yet his presence on Twitter/X is also part of his ministry, and he mourns the loss of his ability to share writings that could bless others.
The dilemma McCaulley faces—how to adapt as social media configurations change and audiences disperse—is shared not only by individual Christian commentators, but also by Christian organizations.
Digital communications leaders and consultants in churches, ministries, and denominations are changing their social strategies in response not only to X’s struggles, but also to X’s rise. short vertical video on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube and drop in traffic to external links on Facebook.
They also have deeper questions about their presence on platforms and wonder how much time and money to invest. (As Public Engagement Editor for Christianity todayI include myself in this group.)
Justin Brackett is the founder of Digifora, a marketing agency that has worked for churches like Joel Osteen’s Lakewood, ministries like The Voice of the Martyrs, and Christian leaders like Christine Caine.
Since he began working professionally on social media in 2007, “people just assumed that these platforms would always benefit the user,” but “they’re all designed for profit,” he said . “When they make these changes, they’re just trying to increase their revenue.”
He therefore encourages his clients to give priority to what they have…their websites, their podcasts – with social media in a supporting role. Constantly “chasing the algorithm” is of no use.
“The mass exodus from Twitter, the significantly reduced reach of Meta…Organizations need to start investing money and energy into their own platforms right now, in Q4 2023,” Brackett said.
Andy Jones runs Roundtree Agency, which provides marketing services to Christian nonprofit organizations. He also advises his clients to focus on media they can “own,” such as mailing lists or even snail mail, when seeking to mobilize support for their cause.
When posting on social media, Christian nonprofits should not seek viral success, knowing that building relationships with donors requires patient, clear, and reliable communication.
One of Roundtree’s clients, Langham Partnership, uses Instagram to share inspirational quotes from the pastors it serves in the majority world, then encourages its followers to sign up for its daily email devotions.
Another client, Geneva Benefits, which manages the retirement assets of staff at the Presbyterian Church in America, is using social media to raise money for its relief fund, sharing the stories of a pastor’s wife newly widowed or a pastor who had a mountain bike accident.
“The relief fund has grown pretty well over the last few years,” Jones said. “Part of this is through social media, but a lot of it is clear communication across all channels.”
And not all channels are suitable for fundraising. “Twitter is like your uncle talking at a backyard barbecue after three beers,” he joked. This is not a place where an organization can easily “project a positive view of the world.”
Peter Slayton, media relations and social media manager for Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS), focuses his efforts on Facebook, X, Instagram and LinkedIn on promoting awareness and evangelism; connecting people with local LCMS congregations; and share faith-based resources, such as Bible studies.
“The mission has always been the priority,” he said. “When it comes to different platforms, the question becomes, ‘Can we still stay true to who we are, what our faith is, who we believe Jesus is, and what we want does the world know about him? »
Slayton has been in social media long enough to remember when Facebook Live was the “shiny new thing”; now his denomination is hiring another social team member to focus on making reels, swapping out fancy camera gear for iPhones, iPads and some microphones.
“A constant in social media is change,” he noted, but the consequences of that change are not predictable, good or bad. LCMS actually saw increase commitment to X this year; Slayton isn’t sure whether to attribute this to more conservatives joining the platform or an increase in spam accounts.
For Christy Chappell Belkin, director of public relations and editorial for campus ministry’s InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, “what you’re really trying to accomplish” is getting students away from apps and into embodied communities. .
Student leaders manage their own chapter accounts on Instagram and TikTok; they learn to be faithful online just as they learn to teach Bible studies and plan retreats. The ministry provides them with some guidelines when they post: “Be humble. Show the hope of Jesus. Be compassionate. Be honest and specific.
While social engagement metrics are down for everyone, the clients Justin Brackett has seen succeed are focusing on consistency, both in their posting frequency and in their messaging. Searches for “church” on Instagram, he says, too often bring up the same types of graphics in different color palettes. It’s not just a matter of “selling them on Sunday,” he insists, and “no one really cares about your next event.”
Instead, he thinks churches should use social media to answer questions followers actually have: questions about grief, mental health, marriage and current events. “Why should I have hope today?” he asks. “We have to have an opinion.”
IIn today’s social media landscape, Christian thinkers who have long made their living “having opinions” are wondering what’s next.
“I consider myself lucky enough to be on social media at a time when words and thoughts mattered,” says Christian writer Hannah Anderson. “If I had to try to start my career today or even five years ago, this would never have happened.”
Contemporary social media, she says, favors charismatic entrepreneurs who do well in front of the camera, not necessarily writers “who excel at thinking or observing.” With that in mind, Anderson recognizes that she needs to change direction, perhaps by creating her own platform on email newsletter service Substack.
“I’m going to have to accept that Twitter is gone,” she said, “that what it gave me in terms of circulating ideas and meeting people is not coming back.”
Learned Karen Swallow Before not sure if laziness) and simply responding to headlines (which are increasingly clickable). She hopes that her Substack, The prayerwill serve readers “tired of hot takes and clickbait” who “crave something deeper and more substantial.”
Esau McCaulley will not start a sub-stack; he already has a regular writing engagement with the Times. But he too is waiting for what comes next. “We don’t own these social media spaces. We only rent them. And I hope we did good ministry while they were healthy. And now we pack our bags and leave for the next city; we could also do a good job there.
What about Beth Moore? She could “pack her bags” and head to Threads. But she knows it won’t be the same.
“Most of my friends who switched to discussions still come here to check this or that on Twitter. » she tweeted. “And why?? Because we know very well that we have something here that we couldn’t find anywhere else. Variety. So for now I do things like block, mute, ignore and j “Come here less often. And you’ll still be in good company. The fact is that I really like a lot of people here.
Kate Lucky is public engagement editor at CT.
