Social Media and Televangelists: Examining Facebook and Twitter Content

Abstract

A content analysis was conducted of televangelists’ Facebook and Twitter pages. Tweets and Facebook posts were coded for a period of two weeks. The posts/tweets were coded for a variety of categories including: dialogic features, content of the post, and theme. Televangelists tweet more often than they post to Facebook. Findings indicate most televangelists included links to their websites, an email address, links to other forms of social media, phone numbers, and additional content about their organizations. Only a third of the posts/tweets included a reference to the Lord/Jesus/Holy Spirit, and less than 90 percent of posts included specific scripture or Bible verses. Televangelists post different types of content on Facebook compared to Twitter. For example, it is more common for Christian leaders to include the terms Lord/God/Jesus in a tweet than a Facebook post. Tweets are more likely to contain an uplifting or inspirational message, promote an offer for a book/dvd produced by the televangelist, and include a stock photo with a message than Facebook posts.