Effects of Christian Faith Sharing Through Social Media: Examining Belief System Changes, Behavioral Changes, and User Preferences

This research examined the efects of Chrisian faith sharing through social media on the belief systems and behavior of users who encounter those messages. In addiion, it explored methods of Chrisian social media faith sharing to discover if users had consistent preferences for certain methods or found some methods more ofensive than others. To explore these topics, a quanitaive survey was completed by 79 students, faculty, and staf at a Chrisian college in the Midwestern United States. From this survey, social media users that encountered Chrisian faith sharing reported a slight to moderate efect size in their changes of both their belief systems and behavior as a result of that message. Furthermore, they reported appreciaing certain methods of social media faith sharing from Chrisians more than others, with personal stories about how God changed others’ lives as most impacful and most preferred to encounter. Finally, they indicated that Chrisian chain messages on social media and posts that requested likes or retweets were most ofensive. These indings demonstrate that Chrisian faith sharing through social media impacts the beliefs and behavior of those who encounter it and that users strongly prefer some methods that Chrisians use over others.