Twitter as a means of discussing mediated religion and religious 'news' events.

Tweeting Revelations

Ruth Deller Sheffield Hallam University@ruthdeller @RadShef

Tweeting Revelations

• What is Twitter?• How do you use it?• Trending topics• Searching• @replies• Retweeting (RTs)

• My own research• Method• Findings

• Potential of Twitter for research into religion and media

‘Trending Topics’

Screenshots here for basic use and for @replies and searching. RTs

Revelations

• Eight part series of single documentaries about religion and belief, shown on Channel 4 during summer 2009.

• The first programme, ‘How to find God’ was made by Jon Ronson, a prominent media personality and Twitter user, about the Alpha course.

Method

• Monitored Twitter for three hours before, during and after broadcast.

• Searched for key terms and saved copies of tweets.

• Invited people tweeting to an exit survey (week 1) and to a live chat or forum (weeks 2-8).

1. ‘How to Find God’

• 829 unique tweets during the period• Documentary maker Jon Ronson (@jonronson)

was online throughout answering questions.• 447 tweets were either retweets or questions

to Ronson (or replies to questions)• Exit survery Rted by Ronson and some other

users; 80 replies in first two hours after broadcast.

1. ‘How to Find God’

• "Accidentally". @jonronson you crafty peice of work! #alpha

• @jonronson Ed sums up why I don't take Communion when Mam drags me to Mass back home. Tongues is just weird altogether #alpha

• @jonronson Sorry I'm late to the Alpha twitter party, was it uncomfortable waiting to see if anyone spoke in tongues? BTW Excellent film.

1. ‘How to find God’

• About to sit down and enjoy @jonronson's alpha course film on channel 4!

• Documentary about Alpha Course on C4. If only good things came out of religion (and mild indoctrination), maybe it wouldn't make me so angry.

• Watching a programme on the Alpha Course. Always wanted to go on it to further my knowledge but I'm scared of who it could make me become.

Table of findings

` How to find God Muslim School Commando Chaplains

The Exhumer Muslim and Looking for Love

Divorce: Jewish Style

Talking to the Dead

How Do You Know God Exists?

Tweets 829 14 22 23 15 18 25 52

Unique users 495 13 20 20 15 17 25 43

@mentions and RTs 447 0 3 2 0 1 5 3

'Am watching' 68 2 6 4 4 3 4 10

Critical of people featured 538**

4 0 1 0 5* 4 4

Supportive of people featured 7 2 8 0 1 0 0 6

Critical of religion/ belief 22 2 0 1 0 4 2 4

Supportive of religion/ belief 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

Like programme 101 2 19 3 5 2 6 8

Dislike programme 20 0 0 0 0 0 0 2

Personal experience 55 0 0 0 0 2 2 3

Interesting 31 1 5 3 6 2 4 5

Unexpected TV watching 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 1

Humour 68 1 0 6 1 2 2 2

Other 111 2 0 3 4 2 6 22

Different perspectives

• lol @ muslim school. muslim bitches be crazy. its funny when thr R 2 of them talking to the camera with head scarfs i cant tell whos talking.

• Both mums have good attitude towards their daughters and reason behind decision for Muslim school is interesting

Different perspectives

• Why is it when religious commentators mention the atheist bus campaign, they never mention religious ads telling people they'll go to hell.

• is watching religious "thinkers" spout meaningless bullshit on some daft programme on C4.

• Is finding channel 4's Revelations: how do you know God exists? so helpful and wishes everyone could watch it.

Humour

• Watching Channel 4 doc about spiritualists. One of them's reading a newspaper called Psychic News. Obviously its for not very good psychics.

• going to watch a tele programme about talking to the dead . Bit like when my missus talks to me.

• Watching a programe on exhumation - just put me off my banana!

Personal experience

• Tonight's "Revelations" (on C4+1 in 10mins if you aren't watching it now) is about the Spiritualist Church. My family was involved; bizarre.

• Watched programme about religious divorces within the Orthodox Jewish community. Got progressively angrier and remembered why I walked away.

The ‘mundane’

• why am i watching "Divorce Jewish Style" rofll./ gotta have a bath like, but thats effort mannn.

• soo hungry, gonna watch jewish divorce programme.

Usefulness?

• Mediated coverage – TV, radio, press• Big events – festivals, conferences• News events • Everyday religion? (e.g. religious organisations

using Twitter)