Why a Black Baptist Community Uses Christian Media: An Ethnographic Treatment of a Working-Class Community Where Christian Media Use Is Shaped by Sacred Tenets, Social Influences, and Personal Factors

Abstract

As aspiring Christians, this African American Baptist community faces intense societal pressures. These pressures work in conjunction with several factors to help shape their continued struggle to live righteous lives, including their convictions in the Baptist faith, their church and work environments, and their personal and familial experiences. This ethnographic study examines how they socially construct rituals of Christian media use that help them negotiate feelings of guilt and moral conflict, prepare for life's difficult challenges, and form meaningful social bonds with others. This study extends the literature on qualitative research conducted within the uses and gratifications tradition. It also adds to the scant amount of research that has been conducted on the Black Christian media audience. The results of this study contain ethnographic descriptions of what motivates this community to use Christian media during their struggle to become devout followers of the Baptist Faith.