University of Pennsylvania ScholarlyCommons Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations 2015 Constructing Religion in the Digital Age: The Internet and Modern Mormon Identities Rosemary Avance University of Pennsylvania, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations Part of the American Studies Commons, Communication Commons, and the Religion Commons Recommended Citation Avance, Rosemary, "Constructing Religion in the Digital Age: The Internet and Modern Mormon Identities" (2015). Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations. 1593. https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/1593 This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/1593 For more information, please contact [email protected]. Constructing Religion in the Digital Age: The Internet and Modern Mormon Identities Abstract This dissertation explores the discursive construction of identity among members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS or Mormons) in the digital age. Religious identity emerges at the intersection of multiple and often conflicting oicesv with varying amounts of normative power to speak for and about the group. The polyphony of the internet during this digital age makes it increasingly difficulto t identify the boundaries of acceptable belonging within religious groups, particularly traditionally firmly-bounded and authoritarian ones such as the LDS Church, in part because the internet itself provides an unprecedented platform for conflicts and discourses that shift these boundaries. Particularly during the “Mormon moment” in 2012-2013, as media and the public scrutinized the LDS Church, mediated platforms gave voice to competing narratives that challenged traditional notions of what it means to be Mormon. Employing participant observation, in-depth interviews, and discourse analysis, this dissertation uses a case study approach to consider the ways that modern Mormon identities emerge dialogically from multiple, often conflicting sources: normative authorities, faithful members, the secular media, and heterodox and former Mormons. This multi-vocal rendering is a negotiation of structural and agential processes often emerging from internecine conflicts on the internet, and resulting in pressure on the institution to accommodate new forms of Mormon life. In particular, nuanced, highly visible, and wide-ranging communities of heterodox Mormons extend unprecedented challenges to traditional understandings of authority in the LDS context, dismantling views of Mormons as monolithic and providing a window into processes of institutional change. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Communication First Advisor Carolyn Marvin Keywords identity, institutional change, internet, Mormonism, social activism, vernacular communities Subject Categories American Studies | Communication | Religion This dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons: https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/1593 CONSTRUCTING RELIGION IN THE DIGITAL AGE: THE INTERNET AND MODERN MORMON IDENTITIES Rosemary Avance A DISSERTATION in Communication Presented to the Faculties of the University of Pennsylvania in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2015 Supervisor of Dissertation _______________ __________ Carolyn Marvin, Ph.D. Frances Yates Professor of Communication Graduate Group Chairperson _______________ __________ Joseph Turow, Ph.D. Robert Lewis Shayon Professor of Communication Dissertation Committee John L. Jackson, Jr., Ph.D. Dean, School of Social Policy & Practice, Richard Perry University Professor of Communication, Africana Studies, & Anthropology Sharrona Pearl, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Communication CONSTRUCTING RELIGION IN THE DIGITAL AGE: THE INTERNET AND MODERN MORMON IDENTITIES COPYRIGHT 2015 Rosemary Avance This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 License To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-ny-sa/2.0/ iii To Andrew, my partner and friend; and to the dozens of Mormons who, sharing their stories, made this work possible. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The completion of this dissertation is the culmination of several years of unflagging dedication and interest, only a fraction of which I can claim as my own. This project would not have been possible without the constant help and enthusiastic support from many devoted friends and colleagues. First, I thank the faculty and staff of the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg School for Communication and the University of Utah's Tanner Humanities Center for extending fellowships, collegiality, and intellectual support which made this project feasible and shaped my potential as a scholar. Thank you for seeing the value in my vision and for making its fruition possible. I would like to thank my dissertation committee at the Annenberg School: Drs. Carolyn Marvin; John L. Jackson, Jr.; and Sharrona Pearl. Each of you contributed fresh ideas, warm praise, and much-needed critiques, always ready to offer a perspective I had not considered. Dr. Pearl, your early interest in my research and thoughtful suggestions guided the direction of this project at crucial moments. Dr. Jackson, your tireless support in moments when I was afraid to pursue my own potential made me believe not only that I am capable, but that my voice is one that needs to be heard. Dr. Marvin, in so many more ways than I can count, I could not have done this without you. You have always been my biggest ally. To my colleagues and friends at the Annenberg School, especially Tim Fallis, Le Han, Kara Garrity Liebeskind, Susan Mello, Holli Seitz, and Andy Tan -- and all of your wonderful spouses and partners-- thank you for making this Okie feel comfortable in the big city and making my family feel like a part of the group. I treasure my memories of ASC in large part due to your camaraderie. To my colleagues and friends with interests in communication and religion and in Mormon Studies, and especially to Richara Heyward, Jessica Finnegan, and Ben Peters: your encouragement and excitement about my project lit a fire in me at crucial junctures of research and writing that I have not been able to extinguish. Thank you for reminding me this work is important, and that I am not alone in thinking so! Thanks too for the endless draft readings, v suggestions, and helpful nudges. To those dozens of Mormons and ex-Mormons who willingly shared their stories and experiences with this curious investigator, your openness and frankness made this study not only possible but useful and important. To my family in Oklahoma: you may not have always understood why this was so important to me, or why I would sacrifice years with you in pursuit of this dream. But you were always proud and supportive, and that meant everything. I want you to know I did this because of you. Three very beloved grandparents passed on while I pursued this dream, and I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge that it was their support and excessive pride in my ability that spurred me on—from my early days in school as a child, to now even after they are gone. In those moments when I doubted myself, I felt their warm embraces and heard their voices saying "We are so proud of you, sweetie." Finally, and most of all, to my husband Andrew and our sweet children Ruby, Cortez, and Evelyn: I have written an entire dissertation, but now when I need them most, words fail. Photos of you at my desk reminded me why my effort matters in the grand scheme of things. My children, it is for you that I have sought both the achievement of education and the clarity of mind and soul that accompanied this venture. I am a better mother because of this, and it is my hope that our family will reap the rewards for generations to come. And Andrew—what can I say? You deserve an honorary degree for the contributions you have made to this project-- in concrete ways like relocation, transportation, transcription, and tech support, and in your irreplaceable emotional support felt in both your gentle encouragement and stern insistence that I. Must. Finish. This. Dissertation. I didn’t always think it would happen, but you never doubted. And now look! It did! vi ABSTRACT CONSTRUCTING RELIGION IN THE DIGITAL AGE: THE INTERNET AND MODERN MORMON IDENTITIES Rosemary Avance Dr. Carolyn Marvin This dissertation explores the discursive construction of identity among members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS or Mormons) in the digital age. Religious identity emerges at the intersection of multiple and often conflicting voices with varying amounts of normative power to speak for and about the group. The polyphony of the internet during this digital age makes it increasingly difficult to identify the boundaries of acceptable belonging within religious groups, particularly traditionally firmly-bounded and authoritarian ones such as the LDS Church, in part because the internet itself provides an unprecedented platform for conflicts and discourses that shift these boundaries. Particularly during the “Mormon moment” in 2012-2013, as media and the public scrutinized the LDS Church, mediated platforms gave voice to competing narratives that challenged traditional notions of what it means to be Mormon. Employing participant observation, in-depth interviews, and discourse analysis, this dissertation uses a case study approach to consider the ways that modern Mormon