Bandwagon effects & Mormonism's online comeuppance

[Imwashingmypirate]

Apparently everyone is able to fill out this survey regarding media. https://research.churchofjesuschrist.or ... LA_ht1R-Joseph Smith

Wow, I got one. Should I take the survey? And do I dare be honest?

This is the survey I mentioned a bit ago. I already did it. Didn't realise it was about media. It was asking about what religions I knew and how I rated them for certain things. Makes more sense now. I was honest in my scoring but not brutal.

[Imwashingmypirate]

Enjoyed this Dr Moore. It doesn't surprise me that they would have a whole department to control what people see in the media.

[Marcus]

Utterly fascinating! Thanks for sharing this! I'm a gonna spread this further with a video if that's all right with you, full credit given to you. I don't do plagiarism.

Bless you for that. Some day, certain retired byu professors may learn that skill.

Looking forward to your video!!

[Dr Moore]

Utterly fascinating! Thanks for sharing this! I'm a gonna spread this further with a video if that's all right with you, full credit given to you. I don't do plagiarism.

It's all out there for you to examine, Brother Backyard Professor. No permission needed from me, because I know you'll do the work to verify. I encourage you to compile your favorite comments from the Instagram posts linked upthread. It's remarkable what people are saying on social media, in full view of friends and family.

[Dr Moore]

The SCMC is pretty useless at this point, unless they have several thousand employees that can scour the internet everyday.

I predict the Church's Instagram page will stop allowing comments. The alternative is to heavily moderate the comments, further alienating Mormon women who already feel they have little or no voice in the Church.

I agree with your prediction. It would be consistent with their business model.

Interesting about the SCMC's ability to keep up with it all. I imagine they would continue to compile their binders surreptitiously. But, like we see with government agencies, their efforts will become more focused on chasing "big fish" while, maybe, becoming more active in referring small fish to stake presidents, such as yourself, for the prescribed workflow.

[Dr Moore]

The tidbit about The More Good Foundation was especially interesting: I have always viewed it as a fundamentally Mopologetic organization—basically, a secretive funding arm that would help finance and enable things like FAIR, or Allen Wyatt’s infamous cyber-squatting. More recently, Louis Midgley claimed that money from the Church itself was “filtered” through The More Good Foundation then handed over to Book of Mormon Central, FAIR, and Interpreter.

You have to wonder: why all the backroom manipulation? Is this really how Jesus Christ wants his Church to operate?

From what I understand, More Good started out as an ambitious project aimed at countering the flood of negative ("inaccurate") information through online algorithm manipulation. Heavy hitters, such as Neeleman, sponsored the effort initially, since the eventual outcome was uncertain. How the scope has expanded is unclear to me, but the core mission appears to remain the same. See, for example, this page: https://www.moregoodfoundation.org/help ... pel-online. Obviously it is outdated, since it links to Mormon.org, lds.org and mormonhub.com. Look down the list -- the algorithm strategy is clear enough. 18 different ways to create faith-promoting online content and interconnected links. That is the essential formula to "beat" Google's PageRank algorithm.

About the backroom manipulation question: I look at the question from a different angle. Instead of asking if Jesus "wants" things done this way, consider outcomes. If Jesus was actually running the show, would there be any need, in the first place, to fret over negative press and plot convoluted apologetic defenses in secret war rooms? Simple answer: no. Fruits would speak for themselves, no need for even 1 paid "marketing" employee. Leaders would confidently engage on policy, money, programs, growth, and history in plain public view.

[Dr Moore]

I didn't know about RTM's talk, "Never take counsel from those who do not believe," lol, that's hilarious. Aren't the fifteen advised by an army of lawyers and consultants, many or most of which aren't Mormon?

From what I hear, no. Attorneys, consultants, outside audit and internal audit personnel involved in providing "counsel" to the brethren are active members who have demonstrated loyalty. I'm sure there are a few exceptions for niche areas. But the basic concept is that to provide counsel, you must have information, which information is guarded and siloed carefully, especially from non-believers. Which obviously creates unhealthy power dilemmas -- how do you counsel in disagreement with the brethren, when they stand over your eternal salvation? Hence, so many boneheaded decisions, year after year after year.