Comparing Tweets over a Week

After discussing my original case proposal I thought it would be better to add another twitter account to be analyzed in order to broaden the scope of the research. I am still analyzing twitter accounts. One account, Max Lucado's, is the example of the official religion twitter account because he is the one of the three that is an actual practicing preacher. The Hood Jesus account and Revered Run Wisdom's account would be the examples of a lived religion. 

I took three tweets from each account during a span of a week. I selected tweets from September 15th, 14th and 12th. The following tweets I selected are below: 

Twitter as a social media platform is unique compared to other forms because it allows the audience to directly interact with the one posting the tweets. It creates the facade of a personal relationship with the tweeter because you are able to correspond back and forth with each other. Most times celebrities and other well-known accounts will interact with their followers on a regular basis. This gives a more colloquial feel to religion as opposed to a traditional more structured view of communicating religion. Twitter opens up the dialogue for religious conversation. Those tweeting devotional tweets are exposing themselves to possible direct reticule and backlash from followers or random people who happen upon their posts. This opens vast options for both those trying to send out a positive Christian message as well as the consumer of those messages. It opens many doors to those creating the messages because it allows for the previously mentioned closer relationships with those following the messages. It also allows the message creator 24/7 access to the consumer because they can constantly update their twitter feed rather than waiting to put out a certain message on Sunday mornings during a church service. They can be in constant communication with the congregation leading to what some might see, in Max Lucado's case, as a stronger bond between the pastor and his clergy. It offers many avenues for those running the Hood Jesus account as well as Rev Run because they are given an audience of what could be millions to spread a message. The possibility of such audience gives a lot of power to the hands it is put. Twitter also offers limitations as well. Twitter is limiting in that you can only write a 140 character message. Often times that can inhibit the content of the message you are trying to present or forces you to summarize a more complex thought. Often times, if quoting Biblical scripture, the quote is much longer than the allotted character space and a paraphrase is necessary. Paraphrasing can often be tricky because depending on the paraphraser's interpretation of the scripture can completely alter another's understanding of that same scripture. Also with Twitter's space restraints no previous context is allowed which can sometimes result in mixed messages. 

After reading through the chosen Tweets by my selected accounts it is apparent all three Twitter user's goal is to promote a positive message through Christian ideals. The primary message each seem to be communicating are as follows:

• Despite hard times, do not worry because God is in control
• Salvation through Christ is the ultimate prize

Just by studying three tweets over a week span from each account I was able to get a good understanding of what kind of future tweets I can expect from each account. Max Lucado, as expected, tweets very traditional values and scripture. Rev Run tweets sometimes seem lyrical as if he were rapping them. Hood Jesus tweets using slang term and abbreviated words to express the feeling of rap-like speak. Despite all of the major differences in syntax the overwhelming theme of all three accounts is that Christianity and positivity are the answer.